Where Am I?
by Psyanchosis
Summary: As normality starts to gather in Cyan's corner of the world, a significant revelation befalls Misato. Knowing that this fic roughly follows the story of the anime, you should be able to guess what...
1. Surviving The End

Author's Note: Before you read this fan-fic, check my last one, The Last Gift She Expected. See that note up the top of every chapter? That bit that says "I do not own Gainax or any of its creations"? You don't? Ah well.anyway, I didn't then, and since then I haven't suddenly inherited a small mint, so I don't now, either.  
  
This is my second fic, Where Am I?. If I can think of a better title then I will, but until then it won't change unless I say so. Before we begin, it's a self-insert, which means I'm putting myself into the Evangelion universe. If you don't like this kind of story, don't fret, because my psyche is about as screwed up as any other regular Eva cast member, so hopefully I'll fit right in! Okay, enough talk, let's get this story going!  
  
Where Am I?, Chapter 1: Surviving the End  
  
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The radio blared incoherently in the background as the bus ploughed on through the rain. The incessant radio chatter made way for a song as the boy went over the coming classes in his head. A sudden noise made him flick his head, in turn causing his longish brown hair to flick over his shoulder. His friend had attracted his attention from across the aisle.  
  
"You alright?" Benk asked, his face etched with concern. He'd seen his friend like this before, and last time.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," the boy told his buddy. He turned away, looking out the window. The vast rural landscape would soon make way for the town where he went to school. Because his parents wanted him to go to a private school, he had to take a two-and-a-half-hour bus ride every morning just to get to school. Benk had stayed at his place for the weekend, his bags packed to go home after school. The boy hated living so damn far away from most of his friends, but it couldn't really help it. The bus rounded a corner, barely staying on the road due to the heavy wind and rain. Just then, not by fault of the cold winds outside the bus, the long haired adolescent's spine shivered in a subconscious form of surprise. [Something's wrong.]  
  
Shrugging the feeling, he reached into his school bag, pulling out a large chunk of chocolate. Taking a bite, he glanced to a mirror, reflecting the face of the bus driver. He calmed down briefly, at least until the driver dissolved. The boy watched in horror as the driver seemingly melted into a translucent liquid. Almost instantly, the bus lost control, swerving off the road, the long haired boy's mind still in a spin after what he saw. [What the hell happened to him!?]  
  
The bus rolled, sending its passengers into the air, almost like a giant tumble-dry. The boy's eyes were still transfixed to the front of the bus, where a girl stood. Not thrown, not bounced, but just standing there, as if a rolling bus was completely normal. But who was it? He would've automatically said she was from the tech school a few blocks from theirs, but she had a different uniform.and his school and the tech school both had very strict hair regulations, so she wouldn't get very far with that light blue hair of hers.and those eyes.  
  
The bus came to a rest, his airborne body slumping to the bus floor with a splash. [Wait a minute.why is there water in the bus!? Sure a little because of the rain, but not this much.] He looked down, noticing the floor was covered with a strange orange liquid. Lifting himself up, the smell of blood wafted into his face. [Blood! This orange crap is blood!?] He looked to the front of the bus, to find that the strange girl had moved to a few seats in front of him.  
  
"Who are - !?" The boy's sentence was cut short, as the girl held Benk against the bus wall, brushing her hand against his cheek. Benk smiled.  
  
"Amy." he said, a smile crossing his face. This would turn out to be the last words he would say, as his flesh melted, flowing down into the orange puddle.  
  
"NOOOOO!" The long haired boy realized that he had just been laying in what remained of people he knew. He looked up, only to see the seemingly towering figure of the girl above him. The boy stumbled away from the girl, who was holding one hand out, as if she was beckoning him forward.  
  
"No.stay away from me." The girl continued her march toward the boy. "What are you?"  
  
The boy fumbled with the emergency exit device, opening the hatch and jumping from the bus, just before the girl reached for him. The boy ran as fast as possible away from the bus as possible, until he noticed his surroundings. The dark rain clouds ran only a short distance into the horizon, the rest glowing a deep shade of red, the front rapidly approaching.  
  
A hand clamped onto his shoulder, pulling him around to face.the girl. Her eyes seemed to be the same color as the clouds he just saw.or was that an optical illusion? He had little time to check, as the girl leaned forward, planting her lips against his. The boy was paralyzed with fear, a million questions ran though his head, so many he barely realized that his surroundings were becoming increasingly unclear, as was himself.  
  
--------------  
  
The radio blared crystal-clear inside the car as it sped through the city streets. The rain bounced off the windshield as the woman planted her foot on the gas.  
  
"Damn! They're gonna be pissed! I hope they found some shelter." The blue car powerslid around a corner, a very dangerous move in the rain. Releasing the necessary brake, she stomped the accelerator once more, her destination in sight. A few blocks later, the brake, handbrake and clutch were all used in unison, bringing the car to a hydroplaning, then screeching halt. Two figured were waiting at the curb, rushing toward the car as it stopped. A brown haired boy got in the front seat, next to the driver, while a striking redhead slumped into the backseat.  
  
"Hey guys," the driver said cheerfully, "How was school today?"  
  
The redhead growled. "What the hell were you doing, Misato!? We've been standing out there for almost half and hour!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Asuka," the woman said, brushing a clump of purple hair out of her face, "I was tied up at work." The redhead seethed with anger, then looked at the occupant of the front seat.  
  
"Hey, idiot!" Asuka shouted at Shinji, "Aren't you gonna say something about waiting in the rain for that long!? You're such a wimp!"  
  
"Sure, I'm pissed!" he shouted, in an attempt to raise his voice above the German girl's, "It's just that she looks like she's got enough to deal with without us hassling her."  
  
Misato smiled. "Why, Shinji, that's very considerate of you."  
  
"SUCK-UP!"  
  
"By the way, how was Rei getting home?"  
  
"Oh, Wondergirl? She walked."  
  
"Alright then. Seatbelts, people."  
  
Shinji and Asuka wisely buckled up as Misato stomped the gas again.  
  
-----------------  
  
"Cyan."  
  
The long haired boy turned at the mention of that name. He opened his eyes, finding himself in.complete darkness. The boy turned around, trying to find the source of the voice. Somehow, it seemed familiar.  
  
"How do you know that name?" the long haired boy said aloud, to no one in particular.  
  
The voice spoke again. "Is that not your name?"  
  
"No, my name's Ro."  
  
"No, it can't be. That person just died."  
  
The long haired boy was startled by the statement. "What!? I can't be.or am I?" Memories of the bus ride flooded back. The rain, the bus crash, that strange orange liquid, the girl.  
  
"What happened? Who was that girl.?"  
  
The voice suddenly had a source: a young child, of about six or eight. His short cropped blond hair stood in a fringe on the front of his head, above a strikingly familiar smile.  
  
[I know that face.] The long-haired teen gasped. "You.you're me."  
  
"Right," the child said, "My name is Cyan Monteru. I don't know what yours is, but seeing as you're me, or I'm you, or however you want to see it, I guess your name is Cyan Monteru as well."  
  
"What do you mean, I'm you? You're me? What do you mean, I'm DEAD!?"  
  
The child laughed. "Ooh, a little temperamental, are we? So much aggression, so many questions.and all eternity for answers."  
  
"Eternity? What do you."  
  
".mean?" The child let out another laugh. "Let me fill you in on a little secret. You are dead. Benk is dead. Your friends are dead. Your entire world is dead. D, E, A, D, dead."  
  
"Then why am I here?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe she liked you."  
  
"She? You mean the blue haired girl?" Cyan approached the child. "Who is she?"  
  
"I don't know that, either," Chibi-Cyan said, "All I know is that there is only one way for you to get back to life."  
  
"Really? How?"  
  
"Defeat me." Those words were music to Cyan's ears. [It's that easy? Just beat the crap outta this kid?!] Cyan grinned, cracking his knuckles.  
  
Chibi-Cyan snorted. "You think that'll work? This'll be interesting."  
  
Cyan charged, leaping into the air and executing a textbook flying kick, dead leveled at the boy's face. To his surprise, however, his foot, leg and entire body passed through the child as if he weren't there. Falling to the ground, he grimaced in pain as he landed awkwardly in his ankle.  
  
Chibi-Cyan laughed. "Pathetic," he murmured, "Forgotten where you are already, meathead?"  
  
"My mind." Cyan realized the truth. "If I'm dead, then this place must be my mind.if that's so, then who are you?"  
  
"I'm the side of you that you don't let out too often," Chibi-Cyan began, "The side you keep bottled up, so that the rest of the world.sorry, former world.doesn't see it.Cyan, I am the manifestations of your weaknesses, your pain."  
  
"My weaknesses.But I don't."  
  
"Think again." The boy made a gesture with his hand. Images of Cyan's former life flashed before him, all images that Cyan wanted to forget: his first school crush, who shot him down; his worst enemies, and moments where they had prevailed over him; and many other things, last of all being a grave, which he recognized as his mother's.  
  
"No." Tears welled in Cyan's eyes as more images flicked through his mind like a picture book. His family, friends, all people he knew he would never see again. Tears flowed freely now, Cyan's mind twisted like a pretzel.  
  
"No.they can't be dead.they just can't be.I won't believe it!"  
  
The pictures of his friends in his mind shattered like glass, one by one. Chibi-Cyan's voice reached him. "But they are.they're probably experiencing the same thing you're going through.but with one exception."  
  
Cyan's head turned toward his former self. "You have been given the chance to move on. She gave you that choice."  
  
"That girl." Cyan wondered, "Is she.the Angel of Death?"  
  
"Hmm.maybe.I never thought of that.it's possible." A low rumble began to reverberate throughout the open space. "It must be starting."  
  
"What's starting?" Cyan looked around, noticing some dull lights beginning to shine faintly. A horn faintly sounded, as Cyan felt it begin to rain.  
  
"You're entering a new world." Chibi-Cyan started to fade from existence. "I can't provide you with anymore answers. You have to find them for yourself."  
  
"Wait! What about." Cyan began, before stopping. "Alright." He steeled himself for whatever was going to come at him. Two lights grew stronger right in front of him, a strange noise began to grow louder. Suddenly, the world around him was complete.  
  
Cyan twisted around to see where he was. [Huh? Where's the ground!?] Cyan shouted in surprise as he plummeted to the ground, about four feet below his body.  
  
-------------  
  
Shinji and Asuka clenched the sides of the car as Misato hit another high gear. The g-force pinned the two teenagers in their seats as Misato's gas foot were once again planted onto the ground.  
  
Asuka stared at the road in shock. "Oh mein gott, Misato, watch out!"  
  
"Oh shit!" Suddenly, a bright light shone through the sheets of rain. The light seemed to darken, but it was only the light being obscured.by a person!  
  
Misato slammed on the brake, handbrake, clutch, locked the wheel over to the left, did everything she possibly could to avoid the body. Luckily, the car found traction against the road, and turned, braking all the time.  
  
-----------  
  
Cyan moaned in pain as he lay on the wet street, hearing a screeching sound behind him. He rolled over, only to see the front wheel of a car close in on his head.  
  
"Aaaaaah!" he screamed, rolling over as far as he could from the approaching car.  
  
Cyan's head connected to the bumper. "Oof!" The fairly solid impact knocked him out shortly before the car stopped, the wheel inches from his chest.  
  
The car door opened. "Holy shit!" Misato cried as she ran toward the young man. Blood gushed from a small wound on the corner of his head, washing out of his long hair due to the rain. The clothing was a little strange, like a uniform, but she'd never seen anything like it before.  
  
Asuka got out of the car. "Oh, my god, Is he alright?"  
  
Misato planted two fingers onto the boy's throat. "Still has a pulse.breathing steady.he's alive.Shinji, help me get him in the car."  
  
Shinji nodded, and grabbed the boy by the arms. Misato grabbed the body by the legs and helped Shinji haul it into the back of the car. Asuka got back into the car, followed by Shinji and Misato.  
  
"We need to get him to a hospital," Misato said, concerned for the person she had just flattened. "You don't mind a slight detour on the way home, do you?"  
  
The two kids nodded. Misato stepped on the gas once again, pinning the unrestrained body to the back seat.  
  
------------------  
  
"Gaah!" Cyan sat up with a start, eyes wide open, but still not sending anything to the brain. [Oh, thank god.it was all a dream.] He fell back into the bed with a thud. [Hm.bed feels different.maybe the bus crash actually happened.]  
  
His eyes started to register vision again. The room was entire windows on one side, his bed facing a wall with a TV, wall cabinet, and a vase with chrysanthemums. The wall to his right had access to a hallway via a sliding door.  
  
[Huh? This isn't the hospital.] Cyan looked up. [At least one I've ever been in. mmm. unfamiliar ceiling.]  
  
Cyan's eyes focused on a poster on the far wall. It displayed a picture of a guy running. Although it was obvious that it was a sort of motivational poster, he couldn't understand any of the words, just that the letters they were in.  
  
[Japanese!?] Cyan straightened up in bed. [I'm in Japan!? How the hell.]  
  
Just then, the door opened. A woman stood in the doorway, her long purple hair flowing down behind the official looking red leather jacket, over a dark skirt. The woman's eyes were fixated on him.  
  
"Anata wa nemurimasen ka?," she said, letting herself in and sitting down.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
She sighed, then repeated herself. Cyan was lost.  
  
"You speak-ah any Engrish?"  
  
"Eh?" The woman had a puzzled face, which immediately left her as the truth dawned. "Nihon-ga arimasen?" She handed him a small device, sort of like a Walkman. Cyan took it and placed the earphones in his ears. The woman smiled, and pinned one of his arms to the bed while using the other to shoot some sedative into Cyan's arm.  
  
"What the.!" Cyan felt his mind sway once more, drifting off to sleep again.  
  
--------------  
  
Misato pressed "Play" on the boy's new SDAT, letting the "Learn Japanese Now!" tape play in a constant loop into his subconscious. After she left the room, she got on her mobile.  
  
"Ritsuko?" Misato said after dialing.  
  
Misato sighed. "Yes, you were right, Ritsuko. Then again, you could probably tell that by looking at him."  
  
Ritsuko lectured,   
  
"Well, he will when he wakes up. I better tell Shinji and Asuka he's alright. Any clues as to who he is?"  
  
"Yeah, right under my wheels." Misato frowned. "Something weird is going on."  
  
"Yeah, I've got enough things to worry about without this kid," Misato replied, "like trying to get Asuka and Shinji to work together."  
  
I  
  
"Okay, I'll let you know how they do on that dance mat thingy you shipped in."  
  
----------------  
  
Days later, Cyan's body stirred into consciousness again. [Hmm.same place as before.who was that woman? And what did she shoot me up with?]  
  
Cyan thought about saying aloud, "Where am I?", but instead the words "Koko desu ka?"  
  
"I see that we can speak Japanese now." Cyan turned to the voice, and saw the purple haired woman again, this time sitting beside the bed.  
  
"You.what did you do to me? Unh, I feel like I got hit by a two by four." For some reason, Cyan could suddenly speak in perfect Japanese.  
  
"Actually," Misato laughed, "you got hit by a car. My car. I'm sorry."  
  
"Oh." Cyan looked up at the woman. "Who are you anyway?"  
  
"Major Misato Katsuragi, Operations Planning manager at NERV."  
  
"NERV?" That one word cut short Misato's introduction very suddenly.  
  
"You've never heard of NERV?" Cyan shook his head. "You mustn't be from Japan, then. What's your name?"  
  
"Ro." Cyan stopped. [No.I'm not him anymore.] "Cyan.Cyan Monteru."  
  
Misato remained silent for a while. Cyan spoke again. "Thanks, for getting me to hospital, Ms. Katsuragi."  
  
"Ah, Misato's fine," she said. "Um.you don't have a place to stay, do you?"  
  
[No, duh. I only just got here myself.] "No."  
  
"That's alright, you can crash at my place!" Misato smiled brightly. [The more the merrier! I wonder how Shinji and Asuka will take this? He better be able to cook.]  
  
"Your place!? Are you sure, Misato?" Cyan was a little apprehensive about being such an inconvenience.  
  
"Nah, it'll be fine," Misato reassured him, "It's the least I can do after running you down like that."  
  
Cyan lay his head back as Misato stood up. "I'll come and pick you up in the afternoon. You got any money?"  
  
"Um." Cyan realized that he only had his old Australian money. [Wait a minute.If I'm in Japan now, then.when am I?] He glanced across at a calendar on the wall. [2015!? What the hell?]  
  
"I don't have any Japanese money, but I might have something just as good." [I wonder how much my 'vintage' money would fetch.}  
  
"Alright, I'll come and pick you up later. Don't die on me, okay?" Misato smiled.  
  
Cyan gave her a thumbs-up as she left. Misato walked to the door, the electronic sensors automatically making it open. Outside stood someone else, but Cyan couldn't make out who it was. Cyan laid back down.  
  
[So.what the hell's up with this world, anyway?] He paused, then reached for the TV remote. He aimed it at the TV, and pressed a button.  
  
The TV came to life, displaying a news program. ".UN officials announced an increase in NERV funding due to the failure of the JA project. NERV spokeswoman Misato Katsuragi was quoted saying that the support of the UN and other organizations were vital in maintaining the Evangelions."  
  
[What's an Evangelion?] Almost as if to answer his question, footage of giant biomechanical robots battling even more bizarre creatures played on the screen. A close-up of one of the robots (a purple and green one) revealed the characters "EVA 01" on its arm. [EVA.is that Evangelion?]  
  
Cyan got up and turned off the TV. He stood at the window for a short while, placing one hand on the glass.  
  
[Okay.Cyan.} he told himself, still coming to grips with his first waking hours in this new world, [Let's take stock of the situation.you're halfway across the world, you're just over a decade into the future, you've got no cash, no contacts, except this Katsuragi woman.] Rage built inside him, bringing his thoughts into speech.  
  
"No home, no friends, no family, no God-DAMNED LIFE!!!" Cyan's fist slammed against the window-frame, luckily missing the glass. "Dammit."  
  
---------------  
  
Cyan waved as he left the hospital reception, and walked outside to the street. Looking around, he spotted a blue Peugeot parked on his side of the street.  
  
[Is this her car?] Looking closer, he saw a medium sized, head-shaped dent on the front spoiler. [Yep, that's hers.]  
  
Walking toward it, he spotted the Major sitting at the wheel, watching him. Cyan glanced down the road, and spotted a black stock model Ford, parked in front of another just like it. [Secret service? This NERV organization must be pretty important.] Reaching the front passenger door, he entered the car.  
  
"Good afternoon, Ms. Katsuragi."  
  
"As to you, Mr. Monteru," Misato laughed, "Just call me Misato, okay? Everyone else does."  
  
Cyan nodded as Misato started the car. "Seatbelt, kiddo." Cyan got it on just in time as Misato's natural driving behavior kicked in. Cyan was pinned to the back of his seat by the Gs.  
  
"God! No wonder you hit me!" Cyan commented. Misato took this insult to heart, swerving across the road, scaring her new roomie. Cyan's shouts of surprise and fear didn't stop Misato from driving like a bat out of hell until they reached the city outskirts. After a few minutes of regular driving, Misato decided to strike up a conversation.  
  
"So, Cyan," Misato began, "where you from?"  
  
"Australia," he replied, "I only just arrived in the country."  
  
Something seemed wrong to Misato. "Wait a minute.isn't Australia underwater?"  
  
[Underwater!?] "Underwater?"  
  
"Yeah, ever since the Second Impact."  
  
"Second Impact?" Misato brought the car to a screeching stop, looking at Cyan as if he had suddenly sprouted a second head.  
  
"You haven't heard of the Second Impact before?!" Misato almost shouted in disbelief, "You don't know much, do you?"  
  
"Uh, no." Cyan turned his head.  
  
"Where did you really come from?" Misato reached for her handbag. Cyan raised his arms, knowing what she was reaching for.  
  
"Please," he begged with the Major, "I can explain.just keep an open mind, alright? Even I don't know what really happened. I can prove I'm from Australia, though." He pulled out his wallet, opening its contents into Misato's lap.  
  
"This is all real Australian legal tender cash," Cyan explained, "From before whatever the hell your Second Impact was. I don't know how much proof it can offer, but what I tell you will be everything I know."  
  
Misato held her hand still for a while, then pulled it from her handbag, not holding a gun. "Okay."  
  
Cyan then proceeded to explain what had happened to him, using everything he had to back up his story. ".and then, I appeared in the middle of the road and you ran me down."  
  
Misato sat there, listening to everything that the mysterious stranger had to say. Cyan looked up. "You don't believe me, do you?"  
  
"I don't know.if you knew the kind of work I'm in, you'd think anything's possible. And no one lies about not knowing about Second Impact."  
  
"Uh."  
  
"Fifteen years ago, in the year 2000, a giant." [Wait, he's a civilian. Better use the cover story.] ".meteor crashed into Antarctica, melting the southern ice caps."  
  
"That's what you meant about Australia being underwater. Australia's the flattest country in the world.wait, that means."  
  
"Yeah, the time in your story's screwy." Cyan looked at Misato, waiting for a gun to be leveled at his head. Fortunately for him, it never came.  
  
"Don't worry. I can tell you're not lying. I'm trained to tell if someone's lying, but you.I still don't know what to think." Misato turned back to the road, restarting the car. "Maybe I'll find out what really happened to you some day, and maybe I won't, but either way, you're still welcome at my place. I mean, if you are telling the truth, you literally have no one else to turn."  
  
[God, yeah, thanks for really drilling it home, Misato.] Cyan and Misato barely shared a word for the rest of the car ride. Looking out over the hood of the car, he noticed something gleam irregularly near the nose of the car. [Is that.sticky tape?]  
  
----------------  
  
"Alright, we're almost there," Misato told Cyan, "Okay, there're two other kids staying with me. You should get along with one of them, he's pretty quiet, a bit shy.the other one you might want to watch out for."  
  
"Um." Cyan wasn't too confident in Misato's advice.  
  
"Just don't show her any kind of weakness," Misato explained, "And for God's sake, she might be a bombshell, but don't try and get a perv. She'll never let you forget it."  
  
"Ah, okay." [Man.what kind of people does this woman live with? She's not old enough for them to be her kids.maybe they're just flatmates or something?]  
  
The car stopped outside a giant apartment building. Misato and Cyan exited the car, the former leading Cyan into the elevator.  
  
"You said you had money?" Misato asked.  
  
"Well, I don't know what the going rate is on currency for a nonexistent country."  
  
"Aaah.you could try taking it to an antique dealer, might get a fair price there." Misato suggested.  
  
"Thanks," Cyan replied, "I'll try that in the morning."  
  
The elevator dinged, opening to a corridor. Misato walked to a corner of the square shaped room, and stood in front of a door with the name "M. KATSURAGI" on a small plaque.  
  
"Well, this is it," Misato said, sliding a keycard through a slit beside the door. The door opened, leading Cyan into an apartment.  
  
"Tada-ima!" Misato called out. Cyan stayed silent, merely entering the apartment. The pair kicked off their shoes at the door, and walked inside. [I wonder what kind of person Misato is.]  
  
Cyan immediately got a good idea. Beer cans littered the dining table, as well as empty cups of instant noodles, ramen and other two-minute crap. [God, she's worse than my dad.]  
  
A female shout came from appeared to be the living room. "Hey, Misato!" A tallish red-haired girl walked into the room, wearing a loosely fitting T- shirt and shorts. She looked at Cyan, and stopped.  
  
"Oh.it's you." The girl's eyes stayed transfixed on him. [This is the guy from the street? He sure looks a lot better now.]  
  
"Ah, Cyan, this is Asuka Langley-Sohryu," Misato introduced his to the girl, "Asuka, this is Cyan Monteru."  
  
Cyan offered a hand. Asuka, a little slower, raised a hand, the pair shaking hands politely. Asuka still wouldn't say a word. Misato noticed the uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Cyan, you want a drink?" Cyan nodded, and Misato went into the fridge. "What do you want?"  
  
"Just a Coke, thanks." Misato gave Cyan another strange look. [What, doesn't this world have Coke or something?] "Pepsi?" Another strange look. [Shit! What's with this world!?] "Just a coffee, then." Misato's head ducked back into the fridge pulling out a can and tossing it to Cyan.  
  
[Canned coffee?] Cyan pulled the tab, and took a sip. [Hmm. Not bad.]  
  
Misato turned to Asuka. "Is Shinji about?"  
  
"Yeah, he's doing homework. Goody-two-shoes dumbkopf."  
  
Misato walked over to a door that displayed a heart-shaped plaque, reading "Shinji's Lovely Suite" in Japanese. Knocking on the door, Misato shouted, "Shinji, you in there?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Come out here for a sec. There's someone I want you to meet."  
  
The door opened, a fairly bedraggled boy popped his head out, wearing what looked uncannily like Cyan's school uniform.  
  
"Shinji, this is Cyan Monteru, the kid I ran over. Cyan, meet Shinji Ikari."  
  
Cyan offered a hand out as he did before. Shinji shook it, a lot more timidly than Asuka did. Misato looked at Cyan, as if anticipating something. [Come on, everyone knows who Shinji Ikari is...] Cyan's face remained one of total irrecognition. [Ah crap.]  
  
"So, Cyan, where you from?" Asuka asked the newcomer.  
  
"Uh."  
  
"He can't remember," Misato covered for Cyan, "I did hit his head pretty hard." Misato looked at Cyan.  
  
Cyan nodded in thanks. "All I know is that I'm not Japanese. When I woke up, I didn't have any idea what anyone was saying."  
  
Asuka utilized her knowledge of German. "Sprechen Deutsch?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Never mind." Asuka smiled. [Ooh, I'll have fun with him.]  
  
Cyan realized what Asuka was saying. Speaking in English, "I only understand a little, but I can speak in this, though. Yourself?"  
  
Asuka was surprised. "Only a little." she smiled, replying in English.  
  
Misato spoke up, still in English. "Well I can understand every word the both of you say, so watch it!"  
  
Poor Shinji, stood there listening to the foreign tongues. "What are you guys talking about?"  
  
Three heads turned to Shinji. "Uh, nothing, Shinji," Misato said.  
  
Asuka piped up. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, how about some food, Shinji?"  
  
Shinji obediently nodded, heading for the kitchen. Cyan watched Shinji dejectedly walk away. [Poor kid, he's so henpecked.]  
  
Asuka sat down on the ground, Misato following her. Cyan sat down as well, visibly unsettled out by the absence of chairs. Asuka smiled.  
  
"Freaked by the absence of chairs?" Cyan looked up at Asuka, with a how- did-you-know expression. "Same thing happened to me. I was brought up in Germany."  
  
"Really? What brought you here?"  
  
"I pil-" Asuka received a quick kick to the leg from Misato. "Uh.lost my parents here, and I'm, uh, Misato adopted me."  
  
Cyan grew suspicious. [Pile.pilot?] His mind began to unravel the wool that Katsuragi-san was trying to pull over his eyes. [She works for NERV.Evangelion.she pilots EVA?]  
  
"Say, you."  
  
"Geez, you figured it out a lot quicker than I thought." Misato said. "I suppose Asuka helped you a bit. Yes, Asuka pilots an Evangelion. So does Shinji. They're here in protective custody. That's all I'm permitted to tell you, for now."  
  
Cyan was silent. ".don't look German, Asuka." he finished what he was going to say.  
  
Asuka turned on Misato. "Good one, Misato! He didn't know yet! Dumbkopf!" She calmly turned to Cyan. "And my parents are Japanese, but they moved to Germany to bring me up."  
  
"Oh." Cyan lowered his head. He turned to Misato. "What's an Evangelion?"  
  
Asuka growled at Misato, and walked off. Misato smiled to Cyan. "See what I mean?"  
  
Cyan stifled a laugh. Misato continued. "You know how I said anything could happen in my line of work? Well, maybe I should fill you in. Just keep an open mind."  
  
Misato proceeded to explain to the newcomer the details of the Angels, their will to destroy the planet, and about the Evangelions, and that they were designed to fight them.  
  
Cyan gave Misato a lunatic look. "Hey, I believed you," Misato retorted, "And plus, if you don't believe me, the day after tomorrow, you'll see them in combat."  
  
"What, the Angels?" Cyan laughed, "What have we got to fear from Angels?"  
  
Misato bashed her fist down on the table in front of her, scaring Cyan to no end. "You want to know what we have to fear of the Angels, do you!? How about this: Second Impact wasn't a meteor, it was the first Angel, Adam. Since then, another seven have turned up. You saw what they did to the city when they arrived, and you know what happened when one blew itself up! It took out your family, your friends, your LIFE!" Misato screamed at Cyan. "I was there when it blew. My father put me in the last escape pod to save my life. He died so that I could live! Don't you dare say the Angels aren't a threat! I know first hand how terrifying they are!"  
  
Cyan was overcome by Misato's sudden change of mood. "O.kay."  
  
Misato's face faded. "I'm.sorry, Cyan," she muttered.  
  
"It's okay," Cyan apologized himself, "I had no idea."  
  
Misato sat down. "Tomorrow, you'll go to school with Shinji and Asuka. I know that you can't understand Japanese text, even with your audio tape, so if you're willing, there's this new subconscious DVD set you can hook up to yourself with pressure sensors while you sleep. That's about as much as I can do."  
  
"That's okay," Cyan said, "It's only fifteen years into the future after all."  
  
Misato smiled, and went away to tell off Asuka. Cyan reached for the remote, and flicked on the TV.  
  
------------------  
  
Cyan's eyes flicked open. The same nightmare repeated in his mind, watching all his friends dissolve into an orange goo, and that strange blue- haired girl, laughing maniacally. He sat up from his makeshift bed in the middle of the living room, shaking off the image projector pads from his head.  
  
[Dammit, can't get to sleep.] Cyan moved silently into the corner of the room, sitting in front of a computer. He pressed the power button, a little conscious of the noise a computer can generate. Once the OS had loaded, Cyan immediately connected to the Internet. Something had been driving him mad ever since he got to this new world. He went to the web site for the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and typed in his name. [So, let's see if I exist or not.]  
  
The search results page loaded. Cyan gasped, staring horrified at the letters displayed on the page. His name was there, followed by the chilling words, "17-05-86 to 31-05-00. Missing, presumed dead during Second Impact." [Well at least I did exist.what the hell am I thinking? The world thinks I'm dead.]  
  
Tears sprung into his eyes as he typed in the names of his friends, all with the same response. "29-05-85 - 31-05-00. Missing, presumed dead during Second Impact."."04-07-85 - 31-05-00. Missing, presumed dead during Second Impact.".He typed in one more name, with the same result: "31-08-54 - 31-05-00. Missing, presumed dead during Second Impact."  
  
"Father." Cyan turned off the computer, sobbing softly. He didn't like his father all that much, but at that time, he didn't care. His father was the last bastion, the last possible thing he had to link himself back to his previous life. And now, even that was gone. He went back to his bed, trying to get to sleep.  
  
----------------  
  
It wasn't much longer until the first rays of light crept into the lounge room. Cyan's eyes fluttered open, once again shedding the pads attached to his head before getting up. He stood up and walked to the kitchen, at least he would've until he noticed a glint in the corner of the room. He looked across and saw a strange stand, with three notches in the vertical bases of it, holding.  
  
"Katana." Cyan muttered as he walked over to the swords on display. Kneeling down, he picked up the long one, the actual katana. The one above it he knew was called the wakizashi, and he couldn't name the smallest one at the top of the stand. He stood up with the katana in hand, drawing it slowly from the sheath it was held in. Cyan dropped the sheath, and fell into an offensive stance with the sword. He cut the air around him several times, as if invisible enemies were circled around him. Cyan struck with the skill of a master, using an incredible amount of control so as to avoid slashing any of Misato's belongings. Cyan went from foe to imaginary foe, slash, parry, slice, thrust, sidestep, slash.  
  
Cyan heard a creak behind him. He twisted his legs around on the spot, pivoting his upper half around, and leveled the sword at neck height.  
  
Shinji froze in position, quivering in fear, before raising his arms in surrender.  
  
"Gaah! I'm sorry!" Shinji stammered. Cyan smiled before lowering the weapon.  
  
"Huh What are you apologizing for? Getting in the way of my sword?" Cyan said jokingly. Shinji failed to notice the jokey tone behind it, and nodded.  
  
Cyan face-faltered. [Jeez, Asuka and Misato must keep this kid really tightly reined.] He walked to the sheath, returning the katana to its home.  
  
"Shinji, I was joking." Cyan turned to the pilot and smiled.  
  
"Oh.sorry."  
  
Cyan felt like slapping the kid. [What is this kid's problem?] "Look, you don't have to apologize so much all the time. Not everything's your fault."  
  
"Oh, I know." Shinji turned around. ".So-"  
  
"Don't say it!" Cyan shouted in an emphatic tone. Shinji looked across at Cyan, who grinned at the boy. Shinji smiled back, and went into the kitchen. "You want breakfast?"  
  
"Oh, thanks, Shinji," Cyan said, "Just some toast."  
  
"White bread?"  
  
"Uh, do you have wholemeal?"  
  
"Sure." Shinji walked over to the breadbox as Cyan walked into the kitchen. It was then that Cyan saw it for the first time. Across the room from the fridge was another fridge.  
  
"Uh, why are there two fridges here?" Cyan asked Shinji.  
  
"Oh, that's strange," Shinji commented, "I would've thought Misato would've introduced you to him yet."  
  
"Introduced?" Just as Cyan said that, the fridge opened, letting out a three-foot high emperor penguin, with a clump of its feathers dyed red, and a futuristic looking console on its back.  
  
Cyan watched dumbfoundedly as the penguin walked out of the kitchen toward the shower. He gave a short laugh. "Heh, now I've seen everything."  
  
"That's Pen-Pen, Misato's pet penguin," Shinji explained.  
  
"Pet penguin, huh?" Cyan smirked, incredulous at the sight that played out before him. Just then, a door at the end of the hall opened up, revealing an apparently hung over Misato, going about her regular morning routine. Cyan watched as their guardian set a good example to the boys by reaching into the fridge, while scratching her ass, and pulling out a can of beer, sculling it down quicker than Cyan had ever seen done before. Misato let out a cry of joy as the alcohol shot straight to her brain, relieving her of the aches and pains associated with waking up.  
  
"And good morning to you too, Misato," Cyan said, in a sarcastic tone.  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean, newcomer?" Misato retaliated strongly.  
  
Cyan continued to sip at his coffee while investigating Misato's beer can. "Hmm.100% alcohol!? They make beer like that!? That can't be healthy in the morning!"  
  
"Uh, Cyan," Shinji corrected, "That's '100% Taste'."  
  
"Oh." That silenced Cyan for a second. "Well, beer still isn't healthy in the morning."  
  
"Oh, shut up and get ready for school," Misato growled, "I'll drive you in." This caused Cyan to face-falter again.  
  
[She wants to drive me in straight after a beer? With her driving habits?] "Can't I just walk?"  
  
"Do you know the way?" Misato smiled.  
  
"Touché." Cyan looked across at Shinji. "Why isn't he going today? Something to do with the Evas?"  
  
"Tomorrow, I have to make an assault against the Angel with Asuka, in perfect sync. It's gonna kill me."  
  
Misato smirked. "Are you talking about the Angel, or Asuka?"  
  
Shinji laughed at the small joke. "Either way."  
  
At this time, Asuka emerged. Cyan turned to Misato. "I guess that's what those dance mats in the lounge room were for?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," Misato said, "They'll be on that for most of the day, hopefully by tomorrow, they'll be ready to take on the Angel."  
  
Cyan thought for a while. "Something tells me that this Angel wasn't a regular one."  
  
"You can say that again!" Asuka joined the conversation, in her pyjamas. "As soon as I killed it, it split in half, and both halves kicked our asses!"  
  
"Hmm.so what's gonna be so different this time around?"  
  
Misato explained her tactics. "We figured that if two Evas made a pinpoint, perfectly synchronized attack on both halves of the Angel, it would make them vulnerable enough to penetrate their respective cores."  
  
"Okay, sounds good," Cyan muttered to himself, "Where would be the best vantage point?"  
  
Misato smiled. "Well, as Operations Manager of NERV, I have to prohibit you from being within a kilometer from the battle."  
  
"Oh, man! You mean I need to get a nosebleed seat?"  
  
"But, as your guardian, Misato Katsuragi, I recommend you find one of Shinji's friends, a Mr. Kensuke Aida. He'll probably have a better vantage point than us at NERV."  
  
Cyan grinned. "Thanks, Misato!"  
  
-------------  
  
"Shinji's big day tomorrow," Toji started a discussion with Kensuke, while waiting for the teacher to arrive.  
  
"Yeah, I hope he can put up with the Devil and an Angel at the same time." At that moment, the door to the classroom slid open. Across the classroom, the class rep, Hikari Horaki stood at attention.  
  
"Stand up!" the rest of the class obeyed her command. "Bow!" Twenty-odd heads nodded toward the teacher, already halfway through the room. "Sit!" The class sat down, awaiting the start of the lesson.  
  
"Good morning class," the elderly man said. "We have a new student here."  
  
Kensuke's eyes flickered open. [Another gaijin? Maybe he's another pilot.]  
  
"Cyan, if you could come in." The teacher beckoned to a figure outside the room. Cyan walked into the room, drawing a collective gasp from a few of the girls, spotting the new prospective boyfriend. Kensuke immediately made a connection.  
  
[Is he the guy Shinji was talking about? The guy Misato ran over?] Kensuke looked on as the teacher introduced Cyan to the class.  
  
"Class, this is Cyan Monteru," he told them, "He's in this class for remedial studies in Kanji and History."  
  
Cyan nodded, saying a short "G'day" before he went to a spare seat, on the far left row, between a short kid with glasses, and.  
  
Cyan gasped audibly. "You!" he said softly, looking at the familiar blue- haired girl. [It's her! The girl from the bus!]  
  
Cyan regained his composure, and sat down. Only when he sat down did he realise that he was given his own laptop, apparently bolted down to the desk. [Well, this is something new.] Cyan started it up, and checked out its contents. After a few minutes, he began to think. [Maybe these computers are all linked.] He looked ahead of him, at the computer of the boy with glasses. Sure enough, the IP of the laptop was pasted along the top of the screen. Typing this into his own computer, Cyan established a communications link with the boy in front of him. He typed a message.  
  
CyanChosis: Hey, kid.  
  
The boy looked around, then typed a reply.  
  
0taku: Hm. So finally someone who's leet has joined the class. CyanChosis: Oh, u better believe it, kid. Listen, which one of u guyz is Kensuke Aida? 0taku: You're chatting with him. CyanChosis: Even better. Listen, I guess u figured out who I am by now. 0taku: You're that guy Misato hit, right? CyanChosis: Yeah. Neway, word has it u know where the best view of the Evas will be 2morrow? 0taku: Yeah. I'll talk to u 2night. I have Misato's phone no. I'll be in touch. + 0taku has signed out. +  
  
Cyan sat up a bit, and then tuned in to the lesson. A minute later.  
  
0taku: Oh, Cyan? CyanChosis: yeah what? 0taku: u met Asuka yet? CyanChosis: uh, yeah 0taku: well, what do u think of her? CyanChosis: hot body, could do with some relax-o-pills or something. 0taku: haha, lol. CyanChosis: why do u ask? 0taku: nevermind. + 0taku has signed out. +  
  
Cyan looked at the screen, shook his head, and began to listen to the teacher. [I've missed out on the past decade of history, I'd better bring myself back to speed.]  
  
Across the room, a pair of girls were typing furiously at their keyboards. Seconds later, Cyan was interrupted by two new messages. He clicked on the first one.  
  
CyanChosis: what's up? QTPie17: hey, where'd u come from?  
  
Cyan thought of a fake answer.  
  
CyanChosis: I honestly dunno. QTPie17: wtf? CyanChosis: U no a Misato Katsuragi? QTPie17: yeah, she's Shinji and Asuka's guardian, right? CyanChosis: yeah. She ran me down a few days ago. QTPie17: oh, im sorry. CyanChosis: no harm done. + QTPie17 has signed out. +  
  
Cyan clicked on the other message.  
  
Blue: You're Monteru? CyanChosis: um, yes, last time I checked. Blue: Do I know you from somewhere? CyanChosis: if I knew who you were, I could tell you. Blue: Look to your rear.  
  
Cyan turned his head. The only person behind him was.the blue-haired girl. [It's her! Does she remember me? Better play it safe.]  
  
CyanChosis: im not sure. Blue: Do you know me from somewhere? CyanChosis: um.im not sure.i do remember u from somewhere. Blue: Your face is familiar, but I am not sure from where. CyanChosis: ill keep in touch, maybe ill remember something. Blue: We already do stay in regular contact. My name is Rei Ayanami. I pilot the Eva, just like Shinji and Asuka.  
  
Cyan had to double check what he was reading.  
  
CyanChosis: u pilot the eva as well? Why don't u live with misato? Blue: I was not ordered to.farewell, Monteru. + Blue has signed out. +  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------  
  
Well, that's the end of the first chapter. Please let me know what you think. Chapter 2 coming soon. 


	2. A Tragedy in Harmony

Note: As I've said countless times before, I do not own Evangelion. I have used settings, characters, ideas and themes present in the show without the permission of its director, Hideaki Anno, or its producers, Gainax Inc. God bless them for not giving a crap about a lowly fanfic writer's story.  
  
Where Am I? Chapter 2: A Tragedy in Harmony  
  
---------------------  
  
Cyan sat solitarily on the guardrail of the lonely stretch of highway, the trees overlooking a vast stretch of rice fields, on the outskirts of Tokyo- 3. [Kensuke told me that this was the perfect place to watch the battle from. Are these battles really that amazing? He sounded pretty enthused about it...] He remembered his new friend's last words on the subject: 'You just have to see them to believe them...'  
  
Kensuke and Toji, like a good majority of the class, would skip the rest of the school day if an Angel were in town, so that they could go watch the battle. Cyan, figuring that hardly anyone would be in the class to talk to, joined them as they walked to their usual viewing spot. After about half an hour of waiting for the Angel to show, Cyan walked off and found his own lookout spot. After a while, Cyan was beginning to have doubts...  
  
"Maybe I should go back..." he said to no one in particular. [And do what? Talk to the wall? Who would be left in the class? The class rep, maybe...uh, what's her name...Hikari...and that girl Rei...if I went back, maybe she'd do that melting thing again...don't want to risk it...]  
  
Cyan's thoughts were interrupted by a tremor in the ground. "Uhn!" Cyan fell forward, clasping his hand around the top of the guardrail just in time to save himself from falling down the mountainside. As he pulled himself up, he saw the cause of the minor earthquake...  
  
--------------  
  
"The target has just crossed the final defense line at Gora," Aoba announced.  
  
"Alright, this is it," Misato said calmly, "Prepare Evangelion Units One and Two for launch."  
  
At that time, the two pilots opened communication lines. Asuka was the first to speak. "Just remember the moves, Shinji," she said, "Full power, maximum performance."  
  
"I know that," he replied, slightly annoyed, "We'll be finished in sixty- two seconds."  
  
Misato watched as the Evangelions were moved to the launch pad. "Cut external power." Two cords, one at each Eva's back, were severed.  
  
"Eva launch."  
  
---------------  
  
"WHAT THE FUCK!?" He couldn't help himself from yelling as the Seventh Angel strolled into view. Cyan took in the sight of the immense creature. To him, its shape and walking pattern most resembled an ape, using its forelimbs to support itself, but its colour ruined the image, almost gunmetal, a sort of steely blue. Of course, the lack of fur and definitive facial features ruined the image completely, not to mention the glowing, red sphere, emanating light from the beast's waist. As it plowed on toward the city, Cyan followed it along the road, trying to find a better vantage point. Jogging along the side of the road, he watched as the Angel approached the first line of buildings.  
  
Just them, a purple and red streak shot up from the ground, their ascent slowing in air. Cyan looked up to see two vaguely humanoid beings, poised in the air, ready to strike. [They must be the Evangelions...] He looked on in awe as the two Evangelions flipped in air, drawing extendable spears and throwing them at the Angel. The Angel flung his arms, deflecting one, while the other split it down the middle. [That's it?] Evidently not, as the Angel halves morphed, flowed, and divided into two smaller Angels, just like Asuka said they would. As the Evangelions hit the ground, each of them immediately opened fire, the purple one strafing and with an automatic rifle of some sort, the red with some sort of cannon, stationary. However, something was protecting the two Angels, almost as if the bullets or shells or whatever was actually being fired at the Angel was stopped in mid air. The Angel's eyes (if that was indeed what they were) lit up suddenly, and an explosion roared in front of the two units, and they somersaulted backwards, dodging the other explosions that followed. After about four of the Angel's attacks, the Evangelions had backed up onto a steel pressure plate, and a wall of metal shot up in front of them. Just in time, as a blast from the Angel hit it, causing a big dent in the defenses.  
  
[This is incredible...] Cyan thought as the Evangelions leaned around the corner, and opened fire on the Angel halves, [Awesome...] The Angels, well, levitated forward, slashing through the metal wall. Seconds after this, what seemed to Cyan like a ridiculous amount of missiles and shells were launched from various points around the city, bombarding the targets with a payload that George W Bush would've been proud of. Cyan frowned to see that none of these offensives seemed to damage the Angels. Using the time bought for them, The Evas rushed in, crushing the Angel's heads in with an uppercut-roundhouse combination, pushing the Angels back into each other, melding them back together. Cyan suddenly realized that the next attack would send the Angel careening backwards, directly past him. The Evangelions leaped into the air, preparing a deadly flying kick. Cyan knew that he was in trouble, and began to run from the scene. The Evas' kicks hit home, pushing the Angel uphill, blazing a trail through the meadows. Cyan dived out of the way, as the three megalithic entities cruised past him. Unknowing to Cyan, the Angel's core was beginning to give way, fragments of it coming loose under the Evas' deadly attack. Cyan got up, watching the Evangelions push the Angel to the top of the hill, before a gigantic explosion rocked the immediate area, sending Cyan to the ground once more as an enormous wall of flame spread upward. He watched the explosion, knowing that the battle was over, breathing sighs of relief at his good fortune to survive his close encounter.  
  
He could at least see it coming, he could give himself credit for that. But if he were truly as quick as he thought himself to be, he could've rolled out of the way. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't. He only first saw the fragment of red, translucent rock when it was merely a few metres from him, a gigantic splinter of...well, he wasn't really sure what it was. Nevertheless, Cyan had no time to do anything about but watch it drive itself into his abdomen, tearing apart flesh and bone. Cyan let out an earsplitting cry of pain as the fragment pushed itself through his body, pinning him to the road below. Cyan gasped as the pain shot through him like a hot knife through butter, repeated, stabbing pains from his gut...  
  
--------------  
  
"Target defeated," Aoba said. As the explosion cleared, Misato smiled broadly as another Angel was accounted for. Her smile disappeared when she saw that the Eva units were lying face down, in the middle of the crater.  
  
"Aw, geez!" Misato's hand shot to her face in embarrassment. Ritsuko, standing a few feet behind her, could do little but mutter "Pathetic..." Maya, Hyuga and Aoba listened in, snickering as the inevitable argument between Shinji and Asuka began. This is, until Shigeru noticed a bleeping red light on his screen. He investigated its meaning.  
  
"Major, another life form has been detected on the mountainside," he reported, "Blood Pattern is Orange."  
  
"A human!?" Misato inquired, horrified. A picture came up on the screen. "Oh my God! Cyan!"  
  
The picture was of Cyan, lying on the road, bleeding profusely from impalement with what appeared to be... "My God, is that...a shard of Core!?" Ritsuko was shocked.  
  
Misato thought quickly. "Send three recovery units to the site! Two for the pilots, one for the boy! The boy's in critical condition! Hurry!"  
  
"Yes, ma'am!" Maya spoke into her headset. "Recovery team, two vans, one emergency treatment unit to..."  
  
Ritsuko approached Misato. "Was that Cyan Monteru?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah," Misato said, "He asked one of Shinji's friends where he could see the battle. All he wanted were some kick ass seats..."  
  
"Poor kid...first that accident, and now this..."  
  
-----------------  
  
Cyan's eyes slowly opened. [The hospital again...damn that hurt...]  
  
He leaned his head up, and took in the sights of the now familiar room. Looking across at the poster, he remembered his first day in Tokyo-3. Now, he could actually read the poster. As before, it was a poster displaying a sprinter, getting ready to start. Cyan has assumed that it was a motivational poster, but now he knew otherwise...  
  
"No Running," he read, "Heh heh heh heh..." He instantly regretted laughing, as a bolt of pain made itself noticed from his abdomen. "Ow!" he sat up, taking care not to aggravate his injury further. At this time, he noticed Misato, sitting at his bed, just like before.  
  
"Hey, Cyan," she greeted him.  
  
"Hey, M...Major..." Cyan said, softly. He sat further up, trying to ignore the pain.  
  
"Some scratch, huh?" she commented on Cyan's oversized stab wound.  
  
"Yeah..." Cyan gazed out the window. Misato watched the boy intently, silently admiring the kid's courage.  
  
"Misato, I'm...sorry for making...you worry about me..."  
  
"No, it's not your fault," Misato reassured, "What happened out there yesterday was pretty fluky..."  
  
"Yesterday?" Cyan said, "I've...only been...out overnight?"  
  
"Sure," Misato explained, "We sent the NERV emergency recovery unit after you. We treated you in our nanomechanical reconstruction chamber for about three hours, then transferred you here when you were stable. It's the best we could do. You'll have a scar, but that shouldn't matter, should it?"  
  
"No, I think...I'll settle for...my continued life..." Cyan cracked a joke. Misato gave a short chuckle.  
  
"That's the spirit..." Misato said, as the door opened behind her. Shinji walked in, holding two cans of coffee, Kensuke following behind him.  
  
"Hey, Shinji...Kensuke..." Cyan greeted the First Child. Shinji smiled and responded, while Kensuke nodded dumbly.  
  
"Cyan," Kensuke said, "All of this is my fault. I'm really sorry for what's happened to you..."  
  
Cyan raised a hand. "No, it's my fault. I shouldn't...have wandered off..."  
  
Kensuke smiled. "Thanks, Cyan." Shinji handed Misato the can of coffee, and opened the other one for himself.  
  
"You should be out of here tomorrow afternoon," Misato informed Cyan, "NERV have agreed to let you stay at my place for the time being, under the premise that you are actually employed by NERV. That means that you'll have a job waiting for you when you get out."  
  
"Thanks, Misato," Cyan said. Kensuke nearly blew his top. [Why is everyone getting to work at NERV except me!?]  
  
"Uh, guys, can I have a word with Cyan alone for a sec?" Misato said to the boys. They nodded, and walked out.  
  
"Cyan, I was on the computer, last night...I checked in the History folder..." Misato said, slowly.  
  
Cyan knew where this was heading. "Go on..."  
  
"It was you on the Australian Statistics web site, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
Cyan expected Misato to reach for her gun again. Much to Cyan's surprise, it stayed holstered. "I just want to tell you...I don't know how you survived Second Impact...or the floods...but I do know your real name...your learner's permit, school ID, bank card, it's all still valid, you know..."  
  
Cyan knew Misato's next question. "About a week ago now, I lost everything... my family, my friends, my entire life... gone... I haven't gone through all of the proper channels yet, but I changed my name so that I could let go of my past...forget my former life, and begin anew..."  
  
Misato offered her services, saying "Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Cyan smiled, thanking the Major. "There's someone else who wants to see you...I'd better take off...see you later. Oh, and if you don't want to be stuck mopping floors, say yes to her."  
  
[Huh?] Misato walked out, making way for a peroxide-haired woman wearing a blue skirt.  
  
"Hello, Cyan," she said, in a very business-like tone, "My name is Ritsuko Akagi. I'm a chairperson inside NERV. Recently, you were involved in a... incident... involving the recent Angel attack, am I correct?"  
  
"Um, yes, Miss," Cyan nodded.  
  
"That's Doctor, but we'll let that slide for now," she continued. "While we were treating you, we noticed an unusual feature in your genetic code. As you may or may not know, the field of genetics has advanced in leaps and bounds in the last decade, Mr. Monteru, so we have traced this anomaly to a traumatic event in your early life...Pardon the inquiry, but you lost your mother as a child, didn't you?"  
  
Cyan gasped. [How did she know!?] "Yes...Doctor..."  
  
"Hmmm..." Ritsuko paced around the bed. "We have a proposition for you..."  
  
----------------  
  
Cyan would normally be terrified by Misato's aggressive driving style, but he was far too shocked to worry about minor details such as that now. Misato was having the time of her life, dodging in and out of traffic at a speed roughly double the local limit. Only when she looked across at Cyan did she noticed his dejected mood.  
  
"What's the matter, Cyan?" she asked swerving out of the way of a heavily braking truck. "You don't look too happy."  
  
"You knew what she was going to ask, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah...I would've told you myself, but Ritsuko demanded that she would be the one to ask." Cyan stayed silent for a short while. "So what do you get in return?"  
  
"Protection, around the clock," Cyan said, "Bottomless bank card, and an inquiry into what happened to me after Second Impact, as well as that name change you're taking care of..."  
  
"Hm...standard deal...apart from the inquiry and the name, it's exactly what Shinji and Asuka got..."  
  
"All that, for the honor of protecting the world..." Cyan finished. After a long pause, "What can you really say to something like that?"  
  
"You can say yes, for starters," Misato said.  
  
"Misato! I-"  
  
"I know how you must feel," Misato explained her words, "but you have to understand that this may be your only chance to figure out what really happened to you."  
  
"That reminds me," Cyan remembered his first day in class, "Remember how I was talking about a blue-haired girl, back during the bus crash?"  
  
"Um, yeah..." Misato said slowly.  
  
"I met a girl in my class...she looks so much like her..."  
  
"You mean Rei Ayanami?" Misato asked.  
  
"Yes! That's the name."  
  
Misato shook her head. "It couldn't have been her," she said, "She's only fifteen, just like Shinji and Asuka, and her history is entirely accounted for. She's an Evangelion pilot herself."  
  
"Oh..." Cyan looked back to the road.  
  
"Listen, Cyan. I know it sounds a little dangerous, but if you want my advice, take the offer. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."  
  
"That is, if my life doesn't end in the cockpit of that thing," Cyan rebutted.  
  
--------------------  
  
Misato dropped Cyan back home, and found the house empty, apart from Asuka, who was busy listening to some music. Cyan decided to strike up a conversation with the Second Child.  
  
"Um, Asuka?"  
  
Asuka turned her head, lowering the volume of the speakers. "Yeah?"  
  
"What does it feel like...piloting the Eva?"  
  
This question was right out of the blue to Asuka. "Well...it is a little weird at first... the first time I went into one was a few years ago, back in Germany. The first thing they do is flood the entry plug with LCL, it's like a kind of clear orange soup, and it tasted a little like blood, but you get used to it after a while..."  
  
Cyan's mind sparked. [That orange blood! Maybe this job could contain more clues as to my past than I thought...]  
  
"...The tricky thing is to only think about moving, but not actually moving yourself... when you're in a battle, it gets a little scary, because any pain the Eva experiences, you feel as well, only about 50% less... you still listening?"  
  
"Yeah..." Cyan replied.  
  
"Why are you even asking, anyway?" Then Asuka gasped as she figured it out. "She didn't..."  
  
"Yeah. Ritsuko came to me, and she asked if I wanted to pilot the Eva..."  
  
"But there's only three units...mine, Shinji's and Rei's..."  
  
"She told me that apart from Eva Units Three and Four, which are being made in the States, they're going to build Unit Five here, for me..." [Wait, maybe Asuka wasn't supposed to know about those yet...]  
  
"God, it's getting ridiculous," Asuka ranted, "Just how little do they trust us three!?"  
  
Just then, a shout could be heard from the entrance. "Tadaima!"  
  
"Hey, Shinji!" Asuka and Cyan shouted back. They then switched their conversation to English.  
  
"I don't know," Cyan said in Basic English, remembering that Asuka only spoke a little.  
  
"Just hope you don't get a broken Eva like Idiot's..."  
  
"Broken? It didn't seem broken the other day..."  
  
"Ha! He can't even keep it under control half the time!" Meanwhile, Shinji looked on, catching Asuka and Cyan's looks.  
  
"Uh, what are you guys talking about?" he asked.  
  
"Aw, mind your own business, you idiot!" Asuka replied in Japanese.  
  
"Hey, Asuka!" Cyan complained, "Why are you so hard on him?"  
  
"Because he's an complete dummkopf! Sheiste!" Shinji slowly walked away.  
  
"God, you have his wrapped around your little finger, don't you?" Cyan commented, in English, stunned by Asuka's control over the Third Child.  
  
"Mmm, yeah."  
  
Cyan grinned. "Or is it a lovers' quarrel?"  
  
"Aah! Perverse dummkopf!"  
  
"Whoa, just kidding, Asuka! Can't you take a joke?" Cyan began to speak in Japanese now. "Even though I have no idea what you just said..."  
  
Asuka blushed. "Or me, for that matter..."  
  
"Maybe we could teach each other a little of our language..?"  
  
Asuka thought about it. "Hmm...would be a change from our regular classes...yeah, why not?"  
  
Cyan smiled. [Maybe she isn't as bitchy as everyone thinks she is...]  
  
Asuka yawned loudly. "Another thing about these Eva battles, they really take it out of you," she explained, "See you tomorrow, Cyan."  
  
"Good night, Asuka." Asuka went off into her room. Cyan walked into the lounge room to talk to Shinji.  
  
"Shinji, can I have a word?"  
  
His head turned away from the TV. "Alright."  
  
"Uh, why do you pilot the Evangelion?"  
  
"Why? I don't know...probably to please my father..."  
  
"Your father?"  
  
"Yes... he's the Commander of NERV... if I pilot the Eva, he'll be happy..."  
  
"Okay..." Cyan thought for a second. [Bossed around by his room mates, bossed around by his father... when's this kid going to get some balls?]  
  
"You know, Shinji," Cyan told the boy, "You really should stop living solely for other people. I mean, defending the world, fair enough, but doing it just because your father says so? You don't go out there and kick Angel butt to defend your father, right? You go out there and kick Angel butt to defend the entire human race, and more importantly, yourself. Start living for yourself. You'll like it, trust me."  
  
"Um, okay..."  
  
"Now, let's start with Asuka..."  
  
"Huh? No way, she'd..."  
  
"Hit you? That's what you're worried about?" Cyan started to laugh. Shinji didn't understand, until Cyan spoke again. "Shinji have you ever been hurt before?"  
  
"Um, yes, the first time I got into an Eva, an Angel broke my arm..."  
  
"Is your arm better now?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, I suppose..."  
  
"Time heals all wounds! Look at me! I've been gored through the guts," Cyan said, lifting his shirt to show Shinji his scar from the oversized stab wound, "and I'm still standing! And you're afraid of a little bitch- slap? Grow up, Shinji!"  
  
Shinji grew a little upset instead. "I'm sorry..."  
  
"And stop apologizing, kid!" Cyan said to the boy, "You shouldn't regret anything you do. Okay, only if it's real bad, but don't apologize because you received some good advice!"  
  
"Oh, okay," Shinji said, "Um, thanks, Cyan."  
  
"Don't mention it," Cyan smiled. He then yawned. "Shinji, I'm thinking of going to sleep soon..."  
  
"Oh, you want the couch?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd appreciate it." Shinji stood up, and went for his bedroom. Looking back at his new roommate, he spoke.  
  
"Misato told me that you were going to be the next Child," Shinji said.  
  
"I haven't made up my mind yet," Cyan told Shinji, "But from the looks of it, you could do with another man in the house."  
  
"Thanks, Cyan," Shinji said, "Good night."  
  
"G'night, Shinji." Shinji left, and Cyan fell back into his bed. He lay there, contemplating his choices, before reaching for the phone. Dialing in a number from the back of his hand, he waited for the receiver to pick up.  
  
-----------------  
  
Ritsuko was at her desk, waiting for an important call. She already had the requested file open, all she need to wait for was that call.  
  
It came. She picked up the headset. "Hello?"  
  
"Dr. Akagi? It's Cyan here..."  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------  
  
Will Cyan join NERV as an Eva pilot? It's your choice. Send an email to me, and tell me what you think. I honestly can't be stuffed dedicating myself either way, so make up your own minds... Also any ideas as to relationships would be appreciated, A/S, S/R, C/A, C/R, M/S, R/Pen Pen, I dunno, so you tell me! Basically, tell me what you want, and if I think it works, I'll go with it.  
  
Please note that I only take opinions via email, because I save the Reviews section for actual reviews, unlike my last story in which I received an odd review asking me to "cook Shinji for dinner tonight"...  
  
Anyway, until I can be bothered writing another chapter, sayonara! 


	3. Signing Away Your Life

Author's Note: Before you read this fan-fic, check my last one, The Last Gift She Expected. See that note up the top of every chapter? That bit that says "I do not own Gainax or any of its creations"? You don't? Ah well...anyway, I didn't then, and since then I haven't suddenly inherited a small mint, so I don't now, either.  
  
Where Am I? : Chapter 3 - Signing Away Your Life : You Mean I Can't Go On The Trip!?  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------  
  
Cyan sat alone in the entry plug. It was definitely a unique experience for him, sitting with his entire form underwater (or at least under LCL), and being able to breathe perfectly fine. His hands rested on the control yokes to his sides, having been told that it was through the use of these that he would be able to control his Evangelion. [LCL, Second Impact, Evangelion, Angel... All of these new terms I've never heard of before...] He reached one of his hands to his gut, as the plug suit that Dr. Akagi had supplied to him was a little tight there.  
  
"Cyan, stop trying to make breathing room," Ritsuko scolded the Sixth Child, "With the workout program we have planned for you, those few pounds will fall off in no time."  
  
[Well, that sounds promising...] "Hai..."  
  
"Okay, now this test body will operate in exactly the same way as your Eva will. Everything you experience in this will be exactly as it will be in your real Eva."  
  
"Hai..."  
  
"Okay, we've just finished uploading your personal data, so we're ready for the test run. We're going to run through the basics of piloting with you. First, synchronisation."  
  
"Hai..." This was getting boring fast.  
  
"The Eva is a living entity, much like yourself. To be able to operate it, you will need to synchronise your heart, mind and soul with that of the Evangelion..."  
  
"How do I do that?" Cyan asked.  
  
"We've learned that breathing in sync with the Eva helps a lot. In a minute, a metronome will appear in front of you. It will move at a rate close to the Eva's breathing patterns. Try to match it with your breathing."  
  
Cyan looked ahead. Sure enough, a digital metronome appeared in front of him, moving fairly slowly. [I suppose a monster such as an Eva doesn't have to breathe so often...] Cyan started to mimic the breathing pattern appearing in front of him.  
  
Up in the Pribnow Box, Ritsuko watched Cyan's synchrograph with interest. Ritsuko was impressed with Cyan's steady rate of improvement.  
  
"Already 53%? This kid's good..." Misato shared Ritsuko's amazement.  
  
Ritsuko leaned toward the speaker. "Okay, that's great work, Cyan," she said, "Okay, now we go to movement. Try to maintain that breathing pattern through the rest of the training, while you move the Eva's arm. Grab the control yoke, and pull it backwards. This will send your brainwaves directly to the Eva."  
  
"Okay..." Cyan took hold of the control yokes in front of him, and pulled back. While doing this, he thought about moving his right arm, just like Ritsuko told him to. The crew watched as the test body's arm twitched, and then moved in front of the body itself.  
  
"Is it working?" Cyan asked from the plug.  
  
"Yes, you're doing great!" Misato beamed at the Evangelion newbie via the direct video feed.  
  
Cyan smiled. [Pretty soon I'll have my very own Evangelion...]  
  
--------------  
  
"Lucky! I'm so glad I'm going shopping with you, Kaji!" Asuka clung to Kaji's arm as he strolled through the busy mall.  
  
"Yeah, it's a thrill a minute with you," Kaji said, his sarcastic tone difficult to pick up, because of his regular melodramatic tone. Minutes later, Kaji realised where they were heading.  
  
"Hey, wait a second," Kaji question the young German, "Isn't this the swimsuit section?"  
  
"Uh-huh! What do you think of this one?" Asuka held up a tiny red and white two-piece.  
  
Kaji laughed. "Aren't you just a little young to be wearing something like that, Asuka?"  
  
Asuka mock-frowned. "Aw, stop being such an old fuddy-duddy, Kaji. This is what all of the girls are wearing!"  
  
Kaji sighed. [And to think I'd pinned my hopes on Cyan of getting this kid off my back...]  
  
Later on, they had stopped for food at a small café. "So, Asuka," Kaji changed the subject, "What do you think of Cyan?"  
  
"Oh, him? He's cute and all," Asuka reasoned, giving Kaji a glimmer of hope, until she finished with, "but nowhere near as hot as you, Kaji!"  
  
Kaji sighed. [How am I gonna have a chance with Misato again if this girl keeps putting the moves on me!?]  
  
"Oh, I can't wait for this school trip!" Asuka changed the subject again, "I just know we'll have a great time!"  
  
"So, where are you going?"  
  
"Okinawa!" Asuka said, enthusiastically, "It's gonna be awesome! We'll even get to go scuba-diving!"  
  
"Really? Boy, it's been years since I last went diving..."  
  
"Say, where did you go on your school trip?"  
  
"Well, actually, we didn't have one..."  
  
Asuka felt Kaji's pain. "Aw, that's a shame...why not?"  
  
"Just a little thing called the Second Impact."  
  
---------------  
  
That night, Pen Pen floated along in the bath, relaxing in the serenity of it all, at least until a high-pitched squeal split through the apartment. "WHAT!? Did you just say that I couldn't go on the trip!?"  
  
"Yep," Misato responded to Asuka's tirade.  
  
"Well, why not!?"  
  
"It's part of your job," Misato argued.  
  
"You mean I'm on permanent standby?"  
  
"You got it."  
  
"What idiot decided that!?"  
  
Misato thumbed her chest. "This one. The Operations Planning Manager." Asuka backed away, hands on her hips, looking pretty peeved about the situation. She looked across at the male equivalent of Misato, Cyan.  
  
"Hey, Cyan!" Asuka cried, "You're a man! Stand up to her!"  
  
"Actually, where I used to live, I went scuba diving all the time," Cyan replied, smiling. "I couldn't care less if I stay or go."  
  
Asuka growled. "What about you?" she focused her attention on Shinji. "Stop hiding behind that cup of tea and say something!"  
  
"Actually, you know, I kind of expected something like this..."  
  
"So, you've already given up?"  
  
Shinji nodded. Asuka snorted. "Pathetic! There's nothing more useless than a housebroken male..."  
  
Cyan glared at Asuka. "And whose fault do you think that is?" Asuka turned sharply, unfamiliar with being addressed with such disrespect. "What with you riding his ass all the time! Maybe if you show him a little more respect..."  
  
"All right! That's enough!" Misato blew her top, "I know how you feel, but there's no other way! There's no way of telling when the Angels will strike next."  
  
"That's ridiculous!" Asuka was enraged. "What kind of Ops Planning manager are you!? Everyone knows that the best defence is a good offence! Why in hell can't we find them and attack them first?"  
  
Cyan supported the German's argument. "She does have a point, Misato," he said.  
  
"If there was a way, we would do it. Anyway, think of this as an opportunity to catch up on your studies."  
  
The three pilots chorused. "Huh?"  
  
"Do you think I don't get your report cards?" Misato flashed three memory sticks in front of her, one for each of the children. Shinji, Asuka and Cyan immediately backed away, knowing what was on them: bad grades across the board.  
  
"Cyan isn't so bad," Misato said, "and Shinji tries everything, but you, Asuka, you just sit there during class, chatting to your friends!"  
  
"It's not my fault..." Asuka complained.  
  
Cyan added to Asuka's tirade. "Yeah! Where I come from, school goes from nine to three, here it's eight to five! It's ridiculous!"  
  
"Aw, quit you whining!" Misato told the kids off, "You could at least try to adjust to Japanese school life!"  
  
The kids backed down. Asuka contributed two more words to the conversation: "This SUCKS!"  
  
--------------  
  
Cyan stood at the top of the diving platform, eyeing off the pool a good ten metres below. Even now, there was a little hesitation. [I've always been scared stiff of heights...]  
  
Cyan turned about, facing the opposite direction, edging closer to the platform's edge. Closing his eyes, he held his arms out to his sides and fell back. The sudden rush of downward motion forced adrenalin to course through his veins, as he contorted his body through the air, straightening his body just in time to enter the water flawlessly. He shot to the bottom of the pool like a bullet. When he reached the bottom, he pushed off of the floor, careening back to the surface.  
  
Shinji watched Cyan as he swam back to the edge, boost himself out of the water, and walk back toward the platform. He turned back to his homework. [Hmph, Misato tells us all off for not doing enough work at school, and I'm the only one trying to make amends...]  
  
"What have you got there, Shinji?" Asuka shouted from the other end of the pool.  
  
"Basic physics primer," he replied.  
  
"Ooh, you're such an obedient student!" Asuka mocked the Third Child once more.  
  
"Well, I'll have to study it..." Shinji suddenly lost the ability to talk as he saw Asuka's twins, bobbing up and down as she slowed down to stop in front of him. Cyan also appreciated the terrific view from the top of the diving tower.  
  
"Well, what do you guys think?" Asuka asked, "If not in Okinawa, let's do it here!"  
  
"Wh-what?"  
  
"Diving, of course!" Asuka leaned over the screen, trying to see what Shinji was working on.  
  
"Oh, you can't solve a simple problem like that?" Asuka's hand rattled over the keyboard, sending her wobbly bits into overdrive. "There, all done."  
  
"H-how can you solve a difficult problem like that and still get low grades on your test scores?"  
  
"I can't read all of the Kanji yet," Asuka lamented, "I didn't have to study it in college."  
  
"You went to college?"  
  
"Oh yeah," Asuka said with pride, "I graduated last year. So, what's this one?"  
  
"Oh, it's a question about thermal expansion," Shinji said, feeling blood run through his face. He knew a nosebleed wasn't too far away. Cyan saw that Shinji was in trouble, and dived away.  
  
"Oh man, that's kid's stuff!" Asuka said, "To put it in terms you'll understand, most things expand when they get hot, and contract when they get cold."  
  
"Uh-huh..." Shinji answered, unaware that Cyan lurked below the surface, waiting for the right moment to strike...  
  
"So..." Asuka grinned, "If I put my hands over my breasts, would they get bigger of smaller?" Asuka demonstrated this by cupping her hands over her breasts.  
  
Shinji felt a trickle come out of his nose. "I don't know, I don't think about things like that!"  
  
"Aww, such a boring little boy..." Asuka whined, and walked away. Suddenly, a hand shot out of the water and clutched around Asuka ankle.  
  
"Hey, Asuka! Come and have a dip!" Cyan laughed as he dragged the Second Child under. Asuka let out a shriek as she lost her balance and was claimed by the water. Cyan let go of Asuka's leg once she fell in, and surfaced with a broad grin on his face. Asuka surfaced, looking more than a little agitated.  
  
"Aah! What in God's name was that for?" Asuka shouted at Cyan.  
  
"What? You were looking so hot up there, I thought I'd cool you off!" Cyan grinned broadly.  
  
Asuka was stunned. "Well, can't say I've heard that pick-up line before," she laughed, playfully splashing Cyan as she swam away. Cyan followed, easily catching Asuka in the water, him having more experience in the water.  
  
Shinji gave a stifled laugh as the events unfolded in front of him. His attention then turned to Rei, exiting the pool and drying off. His eyes were transfixed on the blue haired wonder as she walked up towards the change rooms.  
  
"Hey, Cyan!" Shinji heard a sharp cry that could only be Asuka's, "Lookie lookie!"  
  
Shinji and Cyan's attention were now focused on Asuka. "Back roll entry!" she shouted, as she rolled back into the pool. Resurfacing, she looked up at Cyan.  
  
"Oh yeah? How about...Bombing Run Entry!" Cyan took a long run-up, leaping over the edge of the pool, folding his body over in a pike position. Asuka could do little but cover her eyes as Cyan hit the water, creating an incredible splash. Asuka shouted as she was engulfed in a wave of water. Shinji could no longer contain himself, as he started laughing, along with Cyan. Asuka just smiled, seeing the fun in it all.  
  
------------  
  
Later on at home, Cyan had an empty notebook, standing outside Asuka's room, trying to ignore the questioning stares from Shinji. Suddenly, the door to Asuka's room swung open, revealing the Second Child.  
  
"Welcome in, Cyan," she said, in a mocking welcome. Cyan walked in, and Asuka shut the door behind him. Shinji looked on, shrugged, and went back to his physics work.  
  
Asuka glanced at the textbook in Cyan's hands. "You're not gonna take it that seriously, are you?"  
  
"Well," Cyan said as he threw the textbook behind him, "Not if you don't want me to."  
  
Asuka smiled. "Just sit down," she said. They sat down at Asuka's desk, ready to start Cyan's first German lesson.  
  
"Okay," Asuka began, "Let's start with basic greetings." Asuka piled on the German accent. "Guten morgen."  
  
Cyan repeated. "Guten morgen."  
  
"That's 'good morning', alright?"  
  
"Right," Cyan said. After a few more phrases, Asuka handed Cyan a small book. Upon closer inspection, Cyan saw it to be a German-English dictionary.  
  
"Oh, thank you," Cyan showed his gratitude.  
  
"Least I could do!" Asuka beamed. [Gotta admit, he's definitely a change from Baka-Shinji...] "I had to check up a few words you've used in it, but apart from that, it's mint condition."  
  
"Really?" Cyan said. "I suppose that means I should get you a present as well."  
  
Asuka just nodded. Cyan realised her plan. "You planned this from the beginning, didn't you?"  
  
More nods. Cyan laughed. "Clever..."  
  
Asuka's face changed from grinning to puzzled. Cyan flicked through the book, found 'clever' and translated it for her.  
  
"Ooh," the meaning dawned on Asuka, "Thanks."  
  
Just then, a knock echoed through the small room. "What is it, Shinji!?" Asuka cried out, irritated because her German lesson was interrupted.  
  
"Uh, it's a call for Cyan," Shinji shouted through the door. Cyan walked to the door, and reached his hand through the opening. Grabbing the phone, he thanked Shinji and held it to his ear. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Cyan, it's Misato. Listen, tell Shinji and Asuka to pack their bags and get downstairs now. We're all heading to Mt. Asama."  
  
"Mt. Asama?" Cyan said aloud. Asuka's ears perked at the name of the place.  
  
"Mt. Asama!?" Asuka squealed, apparently really excited, "The place with the hot springs!? Cool!"  
  
"I take it Asuka's with you..." Misato could hear Asuka in the background.  
  
"Uh, yeah..." Cyan confirmed Misato's suspicions. "Can I ask why we're all going?"  
  
"The Eighth Angel has been found," Misato said over the phone, "We're launching an A-17 against it."  
  
"A-17?" Cyan went through the special NERV commands that Ritsuko ran through with him, and gasped. "An offensive attack!? Isn't that dangerous?" Asuka also heard this, and sighed. [Of course...it's work- related...]  
  
"Yes. Unit Two will make an attempt to capture the Angel in its current embryonic form. Unit One will be backup, and in case of emergency, we'll need a spare pilot." The Major said, referring to Cyan when she said, "spare pilot".  
  
[This could be my first run in an Eva...] "Alright, I'll spread the word. You want me to brief the Children of the situation?" This statement of Cyan's cause a dispute from Asuka. "Hey! You're only two years older than me!"  
  
"Oh, could you?"  
  
"No prob, Misato," Cyan said, "They'll be down in a few minutes." Cyan pressed the 'Hang Up' button on the phone and turned to Asuka. "They've found the Eighth Angel. We pack and leave for Mt. Asama in five."  
  
"Okay." Asuka went for her wardrobe as Cyan left to tell Shinji the news.  
  
--------------  
  
"The D-Type equipment hasn't been standardised for Unit Zero yet," Misato explained during the car trip to Mt. Asama, "so Rei's Eva can't participate in this operation. That's why you're here, Cyan."  
  
Cyan acknowledged his mention, while Misato continued. "The operation will begin at ten-hundred hours tomorrow. Before we head there, we have to familiarise you with the D-Type equipment." The last sentence was directed at Asuka.  
  
"Okay..." she said, cautiously. Cyan looked across at Asuka, then thought about what the possible changes are between regular and D-Type Evangelions. [Well, Asuka mentioned hot springs, so Mt. Asama is probably volcanic... Maybe D-Type is for extreme heat? All that extra coolant...] Cyan laughed, having received a mental image of Asuka in a bloated plug suit.  
  
"What's so funny, Cyan?" Asuka asked, in regular Asuka tone.  
  
"Nothing," Cyan said.  
  
-------------  
  
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Asuka had just triggered her heat-resistant plug suit for the first time. Sure enough, it was almost exactly as Cyan predicted. All of the extra coolant overfilled the suit, giving the appearance that Asuka was a whale-ass.  
  
"Your Eva should be ready now," Ritsuko said calmly. Asuka walked through the corridor to her Eva's holding cage.  
  
"Nooo!" Asuka wailed. Her Eva donned a similar heat-resistant 'fat' suit, and Asuka disapproved.  
  
"Quit your complaining," Ritsuko scolded the girl sharply, "This exoskeleton is designed for conditions of extreme environmental duress, not high fashion."  
  
"No way! I'm not getting into it!"  
  
"Listen, Asuka, you don't have to be so vain," Cyan tried to coerce Asuka back into the job, "Would you rather boil yourself alive in the lava?"  
  
Asuka quietened down, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room, Misato and Ritsuko in particular. [Did he just tame Asuka?]  
  
"Listen," Cyan continued, "I'm not exactly comfortable in this plug suit either. I hate tight clothes... But who really cares what you look like? All that matters is what you do in it."  
  
"...You're right," Asuka agreed, "Let me at it!"  
  
Misato and Ritsuko were left dumbfounded. Asuka strode toward her Eva. She turned around. "Well? What are we waiting for?"  
  
"We're waiting for tomorrow?" Ritsuko said. "We don't start until ten- hundred. Get a good sleep, Asuka."  
  
--------------  
  
The next day, Cyan was up at five am. How could he sleep? Today could be his first battle against an Angel. Realising that he was up far too early, he tried to go back to sleep. Alas, he couldn't.  
  
[Ah, dammit.] He got up, and walked to the kitchen, ready to fix himself some breakfast. Grabbing a box of cereal, he poured himself a bowl. Grabbing a carton of milk, he poured it into the bowl of cereal, and sat down to eat.  
  
While eating, Cyan began to think. [I wonder if they'll even need me here after all... Asuka seems confident enough in the Eva, and Shinji...well, he doesn't seem all that tough, but he shouldn't have any problems... Ah well, looks like I'll have to wait...]  
  
After breakfast, Cyan went into the living room, and went for the katana. Removing the sheath, Cyan fell into the attack stance again, and repeated his katas. Deciding to be more adventurous considering that the new 'arena' had brick walls instead of flimsy particleboard, Cyan utilised his interactive techniques, running along the face of the wall, boosting off it, hacking and slashing with the blade. To finish off, he ran up the wall and flipped off it, executing a textbook jewel kick, before finally stopping.  
  
Cyan was surprised at the sound of applause from behind him. He pivoted on the spot, and saw Misato, with a beer can already in her hand.  
  
"Bravo," she said, "I've never seen anyone do that with those before."  
  
Cyan blushed. "I'll say. I've never done that wall flip before. Maybe those workouts are paying off..."  
  
Misato winked. "I told you we'd get you in shape!"  
  
"Um, thanks?" Cyan resheathed the sword and placed it back in the frame.  
  
"You know, if you just ask, we can organise a proper tutor for you," Misato told Cyan, "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but Unit Five's main hand-to- hand weapon will be a high-frequency katana, so you're gonna get real training in the use of it eventually."  
  
"Thanks," Cyan commented, "but I've already undergone training. Or didn't you think I was quite efficient enough just before?"  
  
"Um, no, it's just..." Misato began to mumble.  
  
"I'm sorry," Cyan apologised for his cheek, "I just don't get enough sleep..."  
  
"That's alright."  
  
"I suppose I could use some lessons, though," Cyan admitted, "I am a little rusty."  
  
"I only offered because it's NERV policy for all employees to learn a form of martial arts," Misato explained, "If you want to take up any other form, just ask me."  
  
"Alright," Cyan said. "Now, you want some breakfast apart from that can of beer?"  
  
Misato stuck her tongue out at Cyan and walked off. Cyan went back to his room to get a towel, so that he could get first shower.  
  
When he got out, Shinji and Asuka were awake. "About time!" Asuka declared, as she charged into the shower once Cyan was out. Shinji looked on, uncaring, simply enjoying his tea. Asuka slammed the door behind her, as Cyan went to his room and got dressed. Shinji turned to face Misato, now dressed in official NERV uniform.  
  
Misato shouted out to Cyan. "You might as well change straight into your plug suit."  
  
"Can I wear regular clothes outside it?" came the shout from Cyan's room.  
  
"Sure," Misato said, "Just make sure you can strip off in a hurry."  
  
"Okay." Shinji bit into his second bit of toast while Misato shouted out to Asuka.  
  
"Did you hear that, Asuka?" she shouted.  
  
"Yeah, I hear you!" Misato sighed, cracking open a third can of beer for the morning.  
  
"Misato, you have a mission in about two hours," Shinji said, "Aren't you supposed to be sober for that?"  
  
"Ah, shut up." Misato took another deep scull of Yebisu. Cyan walked out of his room, wearing navy tracksuit pants over his teal and black plug suit and pulling a light grey t-shirt over his top half.  
  
"Pretty smart, Cyan!" Misato commented on the plug suit.  
  
"Yeah, I don't mind the colour myself," Cyan said, checking his sleeves, the only exposed part of the plug suit. "Let's just hope I don't have to use it today..."  
  
"Yeah, being a backup for these two..." Misato quietly took another slurp from her can. At that time, Asuka came out, fully suited up for battle.  
  
"Hey, guys! How, Misato!" Asuka greeted the gathering. "Are we ready to go?"  
  
"I suppose we better head off now," Misato checked her watch. "Okay, let's move out!"  
  
-----------  
  
"Asuka, do you understand your mission?" Ritsuko asked.  
  
"Affirmative, Doctor," she said, full of confidence, as she pressed the anti-heat activator. Her figure swelled out to that of a small whale. Shinji barely covered a snicker. Asuka jerked her head around.  
  
"As soon as I'm out of this God-awful plug suit," Asuka threatened, "you're dead!"  
  
"Really?" Shinji took his newfound bravado to new heights. "What'll you do? Roll over onto me?"  
  
"Just what are you implying, Shinji!? Perverse hentai!"  
  
Shinji, realising the error of his words, took it back hastily. "No, I didn't mean it like that..!"  
  
Ritsuko was getting impatient. "Just get in your Evas already!" Shinji and Asuka nodded, while Cyan watched them walk off.  
  
"Looks like you're putting up with me, then," Cyan commented.  
  
"Ah, you're not so bad," Ritsuko said, "Hell, you've been the only one so far to keep Asuka in check apart from Kaji..."  
  
"Speaking of which," Ritsuko heard Asuka say over her comm link, "Where is Kaji?"  
  
Misato got angry at the mention of that jerk. "God's Gift won't be here, thank God..."  
  
"Aww," Asuka whined, "I was hoping he'd see my first real triumph..."  
  
A blue pulse radiated light from over the volcano. "Laser operation complete," Maya confirmed, "Now, lowering Eva Unit Two into the lava."  
  
Cyan spotted something in the sky. "Jets..?"  
  
"They're JSSDF fighters," Ritsuko explained, "They're here if something goes wrong."  
  
"What? Provide support fire?"  
  
"Nope. Vaporise the entire area with N2 mines." Maya said grimly.  
  
"What!?" Cyan was clearly upset. [I dunno what the hell an N2 mine is, but I'm guessing it's bad...] "What kind of jerk-off would order that?"  
  
"Commander Ikari," Ritsuko said.  
  
"Shinji's dad?" Cyan was stunned. [He would kill his own son? What kind of father is he?]  
  
Cyan's attention was brought back to the panel of video monitors in front of him. He could see everything: direct video feeds from both Eva Units, a camera mounted on Eva Unit Two's shoulder to see into the lava, digital displays of everything from the coolant pipe outputs, remaining power in both Units...he could see everything.  
  
"Talk about hot!" Asuka's video feed spoke. "Hey, Shinji!"  
  
Shinji head looked down into the lava. Asuka split the Eva's legs. "A perfect Scissors Dive!" she cried as her Eva plunged into the incinerating depths. Shinji and Cyan sighed, wondering when Asuka would grow up.  
  
-------------  
  
"Unit Two is at the estimated target depth," Maya reported.  
  
"Asuka, do you see anything?" Misato asked.  
  
"Can't see a thing...switching to CT monitor." The vision mode in her Eva switched over. "Jeez, even with this on I can barely see anything!" She looked around carefully. "No, it's not here..."  
  
"Looks like we've underestimated the speed of the undercurrent," Ritsuko concluded, "How much further down can she go?"  
  
"Only another four hundred metres," Makoto said, "After that, there's no telling what kind of damage would be done."  
  
"Hmm..." Misato looked toward the monitor. "Asuka, you're going to have to go deeper. Can you handle it?"  
  
"Of course!" Asuka replied, with her usual can-do attitude.  
  
"Right." Misato turned back to the team. "Continue to descend!"  
  
------------  
  
"Unit Two has reached maximum safe depth," Maya reported.  
  
"But we still haven't made contact with the Angel," Misato complained. "Continue to descend."  
  
"Major!" Hyuga spoke up, "Have you forgotten that there's a human being in there!?"  
  
"Didn't you hear me?" Misato took authority. "I said, 'descend'."  
  
"Don't worry," Cyan said to Hyuga, "Asuka can handle it."  
  
The comm link crackled into life. "Damn right I can handle it!" Asuka said, with a newfound determination, "I'm not coming back without an Angel!"  
  
"Asuka, how are you feeling?" Misato showed some compassion towards Asuka's situation.  
  
"Nice and toasty," came the reply, "I just want to end this and take another shower."  
  
"There's a nice hot spring near here," Misato offered, "We'll go as soon as you're done here."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
--------------  
  
"Unit is now at corrected target depth," Maya said, "If it isn't here, we're going home."  
  
"Wait! I see it!" Asuka said, excitedly. "Readying the cage..."  
  
The whole NERV crew watched in anticipation and dread as Unit Two moved in to ensnare the Angel embryo. After a few tense minutes, the cage closed around Sandalphon.  
  
"Angel capture complete," Maya breathed a sigh of relief, "No problems detected."  
  
"Alright, Asuka!" Cyan shouted.  
  
"Good work, Asuka," Misato said, albeit not with as much enthusiasm, "Bring her in, and we can go home."  
  
"Roger that!" Asuka said, as her unit ascended.  
  
Ritsuko and Misato inhaled a large breath of relief. "Finally...that's lifted a lot of pressure," Misato said.  
  
"I'll say. Just imagine what would happen if we'd failed..."  
  
"Yeah...Second Impact, all over again..."  
  
Suddenly, Cyan's hand shot to his gut. "Unh..." he said, dismissing the pain as a stomachache. "I think I need something to drink..."  
  
Almost an instant later, alarm klaxons went off. Misato and Ritsuko's eyes shot to the monitor. A terrified Asuka was wide eyed. "It's gone crazy!"  
  
Watching the external camera confirmed it: the Angel was hatching!  
  
"Asuka! You don't have any other alternative! You have to destroy the Angel at all costs!" Ritsuko barked.  
  
"That's what I've been waiting for you to say!" Asuka reached for her prog knife. "C'mon, you bastard," she challenged the Angel, "Come at me!"  
  
The Angel didn't hesitate, and it shot straight at Asuka, who barely had time to dodge. "Holy shit, he's fast!"  
  
"The extreme heat must've disfigured its molecular structure!" Maya concluded.  
  
"I'm in trouble..." Asuka waited for the Angel to make another pass, before trying to gut it with the knife. Unfortunately for her, the knife broke on the hard shell of the Angel.  
  
"Unit Two has lost the progressive knife!" Aoba shouted, "She's completely defenceless!"  
  
"Wind her in! Hopefully the Angel will follow..."  
  
"No! I'll beat it...but how..."  
  
Cyan thought hard. "Asuka, think physics!"  
  
Shinji piped in. "Thermal expansion!"  
  
Asuka got the drift, and ripped one of the five coolant pipes from her fat suit. The Angel charged into Asuka's Unit, copping a full face of coolant. Despite this, the Angel clung onto Eva Unit Two.  
  
"What now?" Asuka shouted.  
  
"Shinji, throw your knife down to Asuka!" Misato commanded.  
  
"Here it goes!" Shinji reared back, and threw the knife as hard as he could. It splashed into the lava, making a bee-line straight down to Asuka. "Knife arrival in twenty seconds!"  
  
"Hurry up, you stupid knife!" Asuka cried out, then shrieked as the Angel's mouth opened onto Unit Two's faceplate, displaying a large amount of teeth.  
  
"Asuka, concentrate the coolant on the Core!" Cyan gave the girl advice. As the knife arrived, Asuka moved her right hand and the coolant pipe straight over the Angel's Core, and grabbed the knife with the other.  
  
"Die, you bastard!" Asuka brought the knife down hard, penetrating the weakened Core and destroying it. She watched as the defeated Angel's corpse burned to a crisp. However, on its way down, its tail cut through three of the remaining four coolant pipes, her only lead out of the volcano.  
  
"Oh no! It can't take Eva Unit Two's weight!" Ritsuko shouted, "She's gonna fall!"  
  
"Dr. Akagi! Cut all pain sensors to Unit One, and get Shinji to dive in after her!" Cyan offered his idea to Ritsuko.  
  
"But we'll seriously damage Unit One..."  
  
"You'll seriously damage Asuka if you don't do it!"  
  
"Shinji, did you get that?" Misato asked as Ritsuko followed Cyan's directive.  
  
"I'm on it!" Shinji said as he dived in after Unit Two, in which Asuka had given up all hope.  
  
"Is this it?" she wondered as the last pipe burst. She started to descend into the fiery depths, until the Eva's hand was caught.  
  
"Huh?" Asuka looked up into the eyes of Unit One. "Shinji...you idiot..." she said, thankful for saving her life, "You show-off..."  
  
-----------  
  
The next day, a delivery truck rolled up to their temporary house in Mt. Asama. The man knocked at the door, and a young boy in trousers and a shirt answered the door.  
  
"Are you, uh, any of these people?" he offered Shinji the clipboard that held his, Misato's, Asuka's and Cyan's names on it.  
  
"Yeah, I'm Shinji," he said, as he signed the delivery. Handing the clipboard back, he looked at the big box at his feet. "What could this be? It's from Kaji..."  
  
Suddenly, the box burst open by itself, and Pen Pen jumped out, eagerly looking for something.  
  
Shinji smiled. "The springs are over that way," he said.  
  
-----------  
  
The warm water lapped around Cyan's waist as he sat in the springs. It caused an unfamiliar tingling sensation against his new scar. [This scar's changed everything for me,] he thought, [If I wasn't impaled that day, I probably never would've been an Eva pilot...] Cyan pulled the towel over his groin in the water and lay back in the water. After all, in his country, they didn't have many public bathtubs...  
  
Across the pool, Shinji was relaxing. [Aaaaaahhhh...this feels like heaven!]  
  
Misato interrupted his tranquil thoughts. "Hey, can one of you guys hear me?" she shouted from the other side of the division.  
  
Shinji sat up. "Yes, ma'am!"  
  
"Can you throw over the body shampoo? We ran out of ours!" Asuka shouted from over the divider.  
  
"Okay," Shinji obliged as he picked up the bottle. "I'm throwing it over now!"  
  
"Roger!" He pitched it over. Seconds later, a cry of pain echoed through the area. "Ow! You hit me, you idiot!"  
  
"Sorry..." he said quietly. Asuka continued her tirade. "And in my most private parts, too!"  
  
"Aw, let me take a look at it..!" Misato mothered Asuka, giving the two boys very wrong ideas. Misato didn't stop there, either. "Ooh, your skin's so soft and smooth, Asuka!"  
  
Cyan ignored her guardian. [She's probably just saying that...] At least until he heard Asuka squeal in surprise.  
  
"Stop it! That tickles!" she laughed, and a few seconds later, "No, don't touch me there!"  
  
Shinji's face flushed red. Cyan was thanking his own common sense that he bought a towel into the hot springs themselves, otherwise he would've been in a very inauspicious situation, like Shinji was across the water.  
  
When Shinji realised that was happening to him, he crouched down in the water very quickly. "Thermal expansion," he lamented, "How embarrassing..."  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------  
  
Next chapter, construction of Eva Unit Five is completed, and Cyan is given his first experience inside his Eva. But, during the test run, enemies of NERV cut the power supply to the Geofront! Cyan is a sitting duck while the Ninth Angel approaches! Can Shinji, Asuka and Rei get to their Evangelions in time to fend off this new threat? See for yourself in the next episode of Where Am I?! 


	4. It Always Hurts the First Time

Author's Note: Before you read this fan-fic, check my last one, The Last Gift She Expected. See that note up the top of every chapter? That bit that says "I do not own Gainax or any of its creations"? You don't? Ah well...anyway, I didn't then, and since then I haven't suddenly inherited a small mint, so I don't now, either.  
  
Where Am I? Chapter 4 - It Always Hurts The First Time : Low Voltage  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------  
  
Aoba reached his hand into the machine, pulling out a can of ICC canned coffee. A young child ran past him, proclaiming to the world that he had just won an ice cream bar. Aoba saw this and smiled.  
  
[Even in times like this,] he thought, [Children can still live without a care in the world...lucky bastards...]  
  
Aoba glanced into the window of the laundromat, where Ritsuko and Maya had just received their washing.  
  
"God, the price of getting my laundry done is killing me!" Ritsuko exclaimed.  
  
Maya agreed. "I know, I just wish I had the time to do laundry myself..."  
  
Aoba now joined. "It could be worse. At least you sleep at home."  
  
---------------  
  
[Hmm...They finally caught that Osama Bin Laden guy..." Fuyutski commented as he read the paper. The trains were surprisingly efficient as the one he was on stopped at the City Centre only ten minutes late. The doors opened, as three people walked onboard. He lowered his paper, one of the people looking familiar to him.  
  
"Oh, Commander Fuyutski," Ritsuko recognised her superior, "Good morning, sir."  
  
Behind her, Maya and Aoba gave a slightly more rigid, official greeting. "Good Morning, Sir!"  
  
Fuyutski grumbled slightly. "Good morning," he said. The doors hit home, and the train started to move again.  
  
"You're up early today, sir," Ritsuko commented.  
  
"I've got to represent Commander Ikari at a board meeting uptown," Fuyutski complained, "He always sticks me with the most tedious assignments... No way I could handle it all without the Magi's help. By the way, how's Unit Five coming along?"  
  
"It's finished," Ritsuko said proudly, "The pilot's coming in for a test run this afternoon. Apart from that, we're going to go along with Unit Zero's second Prolonged Activation test."  
  
"Ah, well, I expect good news..."  
  
---------------  
  
Cyan was trying to pay attention to the less than thrilling monotone voice of the elderly teacher, he really was, but for one he could barely understand him with his thick Japanese accent, and two, it was much more fun playing Unreal Tournament 2013 on his laptop.  
  
CyanChosis was dishing it out to ZeroTaku, B-Boy, and Nobody like there was no tomorrow with his personal favourite: the Flak Cannon. He knew it was a cheap tactic, but more importantly, it was an effective one. It was easy to distinguish who was who, because of not just the names, but the custom made skins (by Kensuke) for each person there, except Cyan. Cyan had to stick with Remus (his regular character back from the days of UT 2003). While he knew that Kensuke was slightly more of a challenge, it was always fun to pick on Toji, who really was pathetic at shooting games. Shinji, however, turned out to be going fairly well, despite his tendency toward camping. Finally, Cyan filled Toji's face full of shrapnel once more and the match was over, with a roar of "GOD-LIKE!" over his headphones. Cyan gave a quiet "Yeah" as the results rolled up, telling the players that Cyan won on 150, followed closely by Kensuke on 146, then Shinji on 87, and Toji lingering back at 23. Cyan's hands rattled over the keyboard.  
  
----------  
  
CyanChosis: 4Ny0Ne UP for 4No+h3R?  
  
ZeroTaku: $h1+! 1 4Lmo5T H4D y0U!  
  
CyanChosis: 1t DOE5N'T m4++3r 1F u W1N By 4N INCh OR 4 M1L3, wiNNiNG i5 w1nniNg. U'll dO gOOD T0 RemEMBEr th4T, A1dA-B0y.  
  
ZeroTaku: 53R10U$ly, DoN't C4lL ME +hAt!  
  
CyanChosis: Hey, Shinji, u weren't bad for a newb.  
  
Nobody: Thanks, Cyan. When did u learn to play?  
  
CyanChosis: I used 2 train for at least 2 hours every night. I lived so far out of town, it was all I had 2 do at home. So, anyone else want another owning?  
  
** MistressOfAll has joined the game **  
  
MistressOfAll: U don't know the meaning of the word owning, Chosis!  
  
CyanChosis: Ah, I was wondering when u'd turn up, Asuka...  
  
** Blue has joined the game **  
  
CyanChosis: REI!? U2?  
  
Blue: I agree with Sohryu. We will destroy you.  
  
CyanChosis: IS THIS A CHALLENGE??? U guys are on!  
  
ZeroTaku: This'll make things interesting! I'm in!  
  
Nobody: I think I'll sit this one out...  
  
MistressOfAll: O NO U DON'T!!! U R NOT QUITTING ON ME NOW!  
  
Nobody: Oh, alright...  
  
** ClassRep has joined the game **  
  
MistressOfAll: Ah, hi Hikari, I was just about to invite u...  
  
ClassRep: come on, we're in class, you know! Out of this now!  
  
MistressOfAll: come on, Hikari, join us...Toji's in...  
  
ClassRep: Toji? Um...  
  
ZeroTaku: Toji and Hikari sittin in a tree...  
  
B-Boy: SHUT UP YOU LITTL ESHIT!  
  
ClassRep: Ah, alright...I'm not that good, though...  
  
MistressOfAll: Don't worry, the Stooges are easy beats, but by the look of those scores, we'll have to watch out 4 Cyan.  
  
CyanChosis: Ooh, I'm a marked man now, am I?  
  
MistressOfAll: Okay, what rules? Random Split Deathmatch?  
  
CyanChosis: Random Split? WTF?  
  
ZeroTaku: Random Split means teams are chosen randomly. Asuka, there's 7 ppl here...  
  
MistressOfAll: Well 1 team has a xtra playr, don't they? How about we make it short, play to 10.  
  
CyanChosis: Sounds cool to me! Let's get it on!  
  
-----------  
  
Kensuke (the initial user) clicked Play. The arena loaded, presenting everyone's screen with the same "Haul Ass!" screen, before the Teams table loaded. Toji, Rei, Shinji and Kensuke were on the Blue team, leaving Hikari, Asuka and Cyan on Red.  
  
-----------  
  
MistressOfAll: Ahh! Just my colour! And an all-girl team, too!  
  
CyanChosis: U're lucky we're on the same team, Asuka...  
  
MistressOfAll: U no, if u're that good, how'd you let Kensuke get that close to you in the last game?  
  
CyanChosis: Ah, that's the key word...LET...  
  
ClassRep: Um, how do I move?  
  
MistressOfAll: Aaah! We gots a complete newb! Okay, Directional buttons are forward, back, and turning, mouse aims and fires, Space or Control jumps. Got it?  
  
ClassRep: Okay. Now, let's own em while they suck us down!  
  
CyanChosis: Aaah rofl! That's "suck IT down". Not that I'm sure if Toji would mind...  
  
MistressOfAll: Gah! Perverse dumbkopf! Remind me to kill u when we get back home!  
  
CyanChosis: That's not the sort of thing I remember easy...  
  
MistressOfAll: Ah, shut up the game's starting!  
  
-----------------  
  
Indeed, the screen did immediately begin to go into Heads-up mode. Hikari followed Asuka toward the weapons and ammo, while Cyan hunted down his trusty Flak Cannon. On the way, he noticed that he was being shot, from the side, it seemed. He looked up, and saw a figure standing on a raised platform, firing a Lightning Gun at him. Cyan ran for cover, finding the safety of a tower before another shot could be fired. He faced forward again, only to find Toji waiting for him with a Bio Rifle.  
  
Cyan strafed from Toji's fire, letting loose a volley of Link charges. Toji ate plasma, giving Cyan enough time to strafe back from cover and fire the concentrated Link beam at his face, blinding him while draining his health. Toji's body fell, and Cyan thought he had got the first kill, but evidently, Rei had, as just below the "You killed B-Boy" message was a "Blue drew first blood!" Looking back at the message counter while on the run, he read, "MistressOfAll tried to ride Blue's rocket."  
  
[Asuka!] Cyan cursed as he ran for the Flak Cannon, now visible. When he was within three digital feet of it, pieces of red-hot lead zoomed past his face. Turning, he saw Rei with a Flak Cannon of her own, concentrated on Cyan. Cyan collected his favourite weapon before engaging in a shrapnel fight with Rei Ayanami. Asuka ran past, taking the opportunity to sneak past Rei and get the Damage Multiplier. Asuka then fired her Lightning Gun past Cyan, and he read "MistressOfAll's attack shocked Nobody" at the bottom of the screen.  
  
[Thanks, Asuka,] he thought, then typed after he had dispatched Rei with some flying molten metal. Asuka ran off, looking for any of the Stooges. Cyan headed up, knocking off Shinji once, along with Toji twice and Rei once more, until he found the sniper spot from where Cyan was fired upon before. Sure enough, Kensuke was there, concentrated on the battle below, firing the odd shot. Cyan took the time to send a message to his friend before killing him: "Hey, Kensuke, want me to pitch a tent for ya!?"  
  
----------------  
  
Kensuke turned around, but alas, too late, as he copped another face full of Flak, his twenty-seventh this afternoon. "Dammit!" he shouted aloud in the classroom, attracting the attention of all its inhabitants.  
  
"Mr. Aida," the teacher said, in his usual monotone voice, "What exactly are you damning?"  
  
Back on the computer, Hikari had scored the winning kill against a motionless but resurrected Kensuke, and she, Rei, Shinji, Asuka and Cyan immediately exiting the program before they were all busted. The teacher used a ScreenChecker (Kensuke's own extra-credit project) to see what was on Kensuke's laptop.  
  
"Oh, playing games again, are we?" the teacher discovered.  
  
Kensuke gulped. "It...Wasn't..."  
  
"I know it wasn't just you, I see that someone called B-Boy is playing too...Toji?"  
  
It was Toji's turn to stand up and shout "Dammit!" now. "But we weren't the only ones! Asuka and Hikari and Cyan..."  
  
Asuka turned around. "How DARE you accuse me of associating myself with you, let alone play one of your silly shooting games! And to accuse the class rep of such a heinous crime is inexcusable!"  
  
"This is wrong!" Cyan piped up; "Here I am trying to catch up in my History work, while Kensuke's playing such an addictive game right in front of me! You don't know how distracting it is to see him die all the time!"  
  
Kensuke blew his top. "WHAT!? YOU WERE THE ONE KILLING ME!!!"  
  
Cyan lowered his voice, grinning from ear to ear. "How could I? I wasn't playing..."  
  
"That's it!" the teacher bellowed. "Aida, Suzuhara, you're both on detention!"  
  
"WHAT?! THAT'S UNFAIR!" The pair shouted in dismay.  
  
Asuka could only laugh on the inside. [I can't believe that worked! If only there was a way I could convince the teacher that Baka Shinji was playing as well without putting my own head in a noose...]  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a pop-up message. She opened it.  
  
CyanChosis: I never got the chance to show you a real owning.  
  
Asuka smirked. [This could be fun...]  
  
MistressOfAll: You're ON!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------  
  
Note: Sorry, been playing too much UT 2003 lately, just had to get that out of my system. By the way, I don't own Unreal either, so don't ask, don't sue, don't even say another word about it. Now, where were we?  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------  
  
After a few more games, both Asuka and Cyan respected each other's owning abilities, and they called it a tie. It was lucky they reached this conclusion, as shortly after, the dismissal bell rung clear. As the class rose from their chairs, the teacher tried to inform them of a coming test, but nobody could hear the poor man.  
  
"Uh, the test will cover...it will cover..." the teacher now found it a lost cause. He then spotted Toji and Kensuke trying to sneak out. "Hey, you two! Did you forget you had a detention?"  
  
The two stooges cursed silently, and went back to their seats. Asuka let out a laugh, and proceeded out the door. Cyan followed, and eventually caught up with her, Rei and Shinji.  
  
"So, going home?" Cyan said.  
  
"We've got sync tests," Shinji lamented, "I think it's just us three."  
  
"Sync tests? Well, good luck, I suppose?"  
  
"Luck's got nothing to do with it," Asuka said brashly, "It's all down to the skill of the pilot. Not that I have to worry about that!"  
  
"Well, confidence is always good too," Cyan smirked. "I'll meet you guys back at the house."  
  
"See you later!" Shinji said, as they walked away. Suddenly, Shinji's cell phone rang. He answered with a meek "Hello?"  
  
"Shinji," Misato said over the phone, "Is Cyan with you?"  
  
"Hai, hang on a sec," Shinji put his hand over the mouthpiece, and shouted out to Cyan. He turned and started walking back.  
  
"Tell him to go to NERV HQ," Misato commanded, "Unit Five is ready. We're setting your sync tests back until tomorrow. I'll see you at home after the test is over."  
  
"Bye." Shinji turned to Cyan. "You're coming with us."  
  
Cyan was slightly surprised by the sudden change of plans. "Oh, okay," he said, "Why the change of plans?"  
  
"They've finished building Unit Five," Shinji explained, "They probably want you for a test run."  
  
"Cool." Cyan began to walk with the group of pilots. "Say, how far is NERV HQ anyway?"  
  
"About 2.3 kilometres," Rei said calmly.  
  
"Jeez," Cyan said to himself as he walked on, in the opposite direction to the other three.  
  
---------------  
  
"Abort the test! Break the circuits!" Ritsuko commanded as the monitor flashed 'EMERGENCY' repeatedly. The room went black for about five seconds, before restoring itself.  
  
"Power restored," Aoba reported. Ritsuko and Maya watched with intent as representations of the many connections inside the Eva appeared on the screen. One that read GTT1001 glowed red, standing out amongst the green ones.  
  
"That one again!" Ritsuko said angrily, "What's wrong with it?"  
  
"Conversion efficiency is down 0.8% from expectations," Maya explained.  
  
"Okay, let's go over again," Ritsuko said, "but lower the reciprocal conversion rate by 0.01. Let's go."  
  
---------------  
  
At that time, elsewhere in the depths of NERV Central, Misato had just boarded an elevator, when she heard a familiar cry from behind her.  
  
"Hey! Hold the elevator!" she heard Kaji cry. With a slight smile, she pushed the 'Close Doors' button. Kaji ran the few metres in between him and the elevator, Misato hoping that he wouldn't make it. Alas, his hand reached into the small gap that the elevator had left, and the doors opened to accommodate the rest of his body.  
  
Misato cursed her misfortune, as Kaji entered the elevator. "Man, it's been a while since I've run that much!" Kaji commented, gasping for air, "So, what's with the black expression, sunshine?"  
  
Misato was livid. "It's nausea from having to see you again," she retorted.  
  
-------------  
  
Cyan gazed up at the head of Evangelion Unit Five from the catwalk. "So, this is my Evangelion..." he said in amazement. The design was similar to that of Unit One, with the replacement of the purple and green colour scheme with one of teal and dark brown, giving it a camouflage appearance. As with Unit One, a horn had been added to the faceplate, creating a darker appearance.  
  
"Yes," Ritsuko confirmed, "This is Evangelion Unit Five..."  
  
Cyan asked a question that had been bugging him. "What happened to Units Three and Four?"  
  
"They're still being made in the Unites States," Ritsuko explained, "It's taking so long because of the Mechanic's Union strikes in America. That and Americans being so damn lazy..."  
  
Cyan stifled a laugh. "So this is combat-ready?" he asked, referring to the Evangelion in front of him.  
  
"Yep, you're scheduled for a test run in half an hour. Get suited up and back here by eighteen-hundred."  
  
"Hai." Cyan walked out of the Cage room. He looked back at his Evangelion one last time. [My Eva...]  
  
------------  
  
"So, Shinji," Asuka began, "What's for tea tonight?"  
  
"Don't ask me," Shinji replied, "It's Misato's turn again..." The two pilots shuddered at the thought.  
  
"Take out?" Asuka suggested fast food.  
  
"Sure," Shinji said, relieving Asuka to no end. Rei followed the two pilots, staying quiet. Suddenly, she stopped walking. Asuka and Shinji took a couple more paces each, before noticing Rei was not following.  
  
"What's wrong, Rei?" Shinji asked.  
  
"We must get to NERV Central immediately," was all Rei said, before turning and running toward NERV.  
  
"Huh? What's Wondergirl up to now..?" Asuka wondered.  
  
"Hmm...Hey, that must be Cyan's new Eva..." Shinji noticed the Evangelion seemingly rise from the ground. "Looks a bit like mine..."  
  
Asuka watched Cyan come to grips with walking, running and all the basic stuff that she had already mastered. She noticed that the Eva was indeed a lot like Shinji's, it almost had the appearance of an old Japanese samurai, especially with the long sheath attached to its left side.  
  
-------------  
  
"Very good, Cyan," Ritsuko complimented the new pilot, "It's not all that different from the test bodies, as you can tell..."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm getting this strange feeling in my stomach," Cyan complained, "Is this normal?"  
  
"What, you're nervous?"  
  
"No, it's not that...it's a kind of...I'm not sure, anticipation?"  
  
"Strange...your mental readings are normal... Sorry, we can't tell you what the problem is... Anyway, on with the lesson. You know about the Evangelion's AT field?"  
  
"Um, no..."  
  
"Basically, it's a protective barrier that the Eva can create around itself. To use it, either command the Eva to use it verbally, or concentrate on deploying it yourself. If you do this, your AT field will activate and you can use it to deflect the enemy's attacks."  
  
"Sweet..."  
  
"Don't rely on it, though," Ritsuko warned, "It's quite tricky to use."  
  
--------------  
  
Even further in the depths of NERV, a shadowy figure crept toward a thick cable, cradling a chainsaw in his hands. Starting the chainsaw, he brought the rotating teeth of the chain down on the cable, severing it with sparkling electricity...  
  
-------------  
  
The digital projection of the city disappeared from the inside of Cyan's entry plug, leaving him in the dark.  
  
"Hey, what's going on, Ritsuko?" Cyan asked. No response. "Ritsuko?" Still nothing. "Something's happened..."  
  
-------------  
  
Back in the elevator, all of the lights blacked out. The elevator, however, was still going  
  
"Huh? What's happened? Did the power go?" Kaji said.  
  
"Of course not, that's impossible!" Misato declared. Almost as if to directly contradict her, the elevator immediately stopped moving.  
  
"I think it has..." Kaji confirmed the obvious truth in a singsong voice, infuriating Misato further.  
  
"Not to worry," Misato said confidently, "The backup power supply will kick in soon."  
  
-------------  
  
"Main power has terminated! Total voltage is zero!" Maya panicked. A similar feeling had spread through most of the Bridge.  
  
Aoba continued with the bad news. "Only 1.2% of backup supply circuits are operational!"  
  
Fuyutski managed the remaining power supply fairly unevenly. "Divert that power to maintaining the Magi."  
  
"But...that could interfere with our life support systems..!" Aoba complained.  
  
"Do it!" Fuyutski snapped, "We need the Magi!"  
  
-------------  
  
"So why is it so important that we get to NERV?" Asuka asked, clearly frustrated by the fast pace that Rei the Blue-Haired Wonder was keeping.  
  
"Look to your right," was Rei's only response. Asuka managed to crane her neck to her right, and saw the reason that they were all running at full steam.  
  
"Is that..?"  
  
"Looks like it," Shinji panted, "Not to worry though, Cyan's still in his Eva. He can take care of it."  
  
"Evangelion Unit Five has ceased function," Rei said, with full voice despite the hard running, "The power has failed throughout the city."  
  
"How do you know all this stuff already?" Asuka was curious of how Rei seemed to know everything before it happens.  
  
"There are no traffic lights..."  
  
"Ah, shut up!" Asuka continued to run, pouring on more gas in an attempt to overtake Rei. Shinji decided to hang back.  
  
"Good, you're keeping up now," Rei said clearly, as she too increased her speed, completely outstripping Asuka.  
  
"Ah, dammit!" Asuka said, staggering to a halt, letting Rei and Shinji bolt past again before starting to run again.  
  
---------------  
  
"Why is it taking so long for the backup power to kick in!?" Misato had lost her patience.  
  
"Something might be wrong with the backup generator," Kaji suggested.  
  
"Really?" Misato groaned melodramatically, "Of course there's something wrong with the backup generator! But, there's heaps of different circuits..."  
  
"So that means..."  
  
-----------  
  
"That this was done on purpose." Gendo concluded.  
  
"But, why would someone just want to cut the power?" Fuyutski pondered.  
  
"Well, by monitoring the way we reactivate all of our systems, it is feasible that they could gain a deeper knowledge of the workings of this facility." Ritsuko, as usual, had all the answers.  
  
"Clever bastards," Gendo concluded, "Run a dummy program through the Magi. That should distort the signals sufficiently."  
  
"Affirmative," Ritsuko confirmed, as she typed away. While doing this, Maya commented on the situation.  
  
"It'd be tragic if an Angel attacked right now..."  
  
-----------  
  
"Radar has detected an unidentified object heading north-east towards Tokyo- 3," the military man said, "Roughly 400 metres across."  
  
"Must be the eighth one," the commander said, "Well, nothing we can do 'cept for report it to the JSSDF..."  
  
-----------  
  
"Yes, I know that the Eighth Angel's heading our way, but we're getting no response from NERV! We can't contact them!"  
  
"Well, they told us to take care of it, didn't they?" the JSSDF colonel snarled.  
  
"Yeah, those Tokyo-2 buttheads always defer to us when the going gets tough..."  
  
"Get a plane to fly over or something. We need to tell NERV about the Angel NOW!"  
  
-----------  
  
"Dammit, Asuka," Shinji complained while manually opening a door designed for automatic use (with the help of a stiff, rusted over crank), "You're the one who always wants to be in charge, but when the going gets tough, you always palm it off to me..."  
  
"Quit complaining!" Asuka said in an authoritative tone, "You're a boy, you know!"  
  
Rei said nothing, either deciding not to get involved or just because she wasn't ordered to. Shinji finally got the door open halfway, looking at Asuka with content in his task.  
  
"Hmph, good enough." Asuka pushed Shinji out of the way and wriggled through the gap. Rei watched Shinji gather himself together and slide through the door, before following the other pilots.  
  
------------  
  
"I can't feel, the way I did before, don't turn your back on me, I WON'T BE IGNORED!..."  
  
Cyan was still cut off from the rest of the world, inside his Eva plug. Usually he'd kick back and listen to some music if he was ever bored, but seeing as that was impossible, he sang them himself. He had just finished Linkin Park's Faint when he had decided it was time to try again. Activating the unit's power once more, he called out.  
  
"Anyone hear me? Ritsuko? Misato? Anyone?" Waiting a few seconds for a response, he gave up again, turning off the power.  
  
[Still no response after...] he thought, checking the watch on his plug suit, [...ten minutes. According to this suit, I only have three minutes of power left. Better conserve it...]  
  
Cyan sat back in his seat. [How could I get cut off from NERV Central like this? The Eva's sensors still detect the umbilical cable in my back... maybe there was a blackout at NERV? But they'd have to have backup systems of some sort...did someone attack NERV's power supply directly?]  
  
[Well, whatever the reason, NERV's out of power, and I'm stranded here with three minutes of power left... What else could go wrong in my first shot at piloting the Eva?]  
  
Suddenly, the shock of a jarring pain shot through Cyan's midsection. "Aah!" he grimaced, sitting upright, activating the power once more. A terrifying sight greeted him: a giant spider-like creature, it's body tattooed with eyes. It seemed to rear itself up, directing the lower section of its body toward Unit Five. The eye on the bottom of its centre seemed to be real, as it oozed an orange liquid, which it shot at the Evangelion. A burning sensation ripped through Cyan's body.  
  
"Aah! Acid!?" he shouted in surprise as he jumped clear. Landing on top of a building, he reached for his waist, from which his high-frequency katana hung.  
  
"I don't know if you can hear me, but here goes..."  
  
--------------  
  
"I'm picking up a weak signal," Maya shouted excitedly. Ritsuko rushed to the bridge bunny, listening in as the computer picked up a radio signal.  
  
"I don.....ow if yo.....hear me.....here goes..." the computer played the radio signal.  
  
"I think it's Cyan!" Ritsuko said, as the voice continued.  
  
"I've.....isual confirmati.....the Eighth Angel...I've suffered minor injuri...requesti....ermission to engage targ....."  
  
"Eighth Angel!?" Maya shouted aloud. Ritsuko looked up to Gendo.  
  
"Unit Five is in range to attack the target. He's requesting permission to engage."  
  
Gendo nodded, and Ritsuko pushed the 'Send' button.  
  
"Cyan, if you can hear me, permission granted. Engage the target. Repeat, engage the target!"  
  
--------------  
  
"Engage...target. Repeat.... age target..."  
  
Cyan grinned. "Alright, you angelic bastard, get ready for an ass whooping!"  
  
Drawing his blade, he leaped to the next building, and flourishing his blade at one of the spider's limbs, slicing clean through it. The spider fell slightly, having lost its leg. Cyan crashed into the upright building, finding grip on the building-face. Kicking off it, he lunged at the creature once more, slicing off two more limbs. Acid blood flowed from the wounds, and the body fell to the ground.  
  
"Yes!" Cyan raised his fist in victory, his debut battle a success. He shut off his power again, confident in the fact that he had succeeded. Only then did he feel the sting of another hit. Turning the power back on again, he saw that the spider had regenerated.  
  
"What!? That's impossible!" Cyan shouted as he hacked at the spider again. Its lost limbs regenerated quicker this time, and one shot out, connecting with Unit Five's head.  
  
"Unh!" He fell back, still conscious, but with a plan...  
  
"Power off..." he said, and Unit Five deactivated again. Cyan waited for the signal that his plan worked...utter silence...  
  
[Perfect!] Cyan had feigned defeat, conserving power for when the other pilots arrived. He checked his activation time.  
  
[Shit! Thirty seconds!?] Cyan sat back once more. [So...that was an Angel...I wonder what it'll do now...Ah well...nothing more I can do unless they activate the other Evas...]  
  
Cyan lifted his head. "There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface...consuming...confusing..." he sang...  
  
------------  
  
"Yeah, great short-cut of yours, Wondergirl," Asuka ranted, "'Ooh, we could utilise the ventilation shafts'...Frigging dumbkopf...Hey, Shinji, you better not be staring at my ass!"  
  
Shinji kept his head down, and concentrated on crawling through the ducts.  
  
"Hey, are you listening?" Asuka shouted. Shinji then made the critical mistake of looking up.  
  
"AAGH! PERVERSER ASCHLUGH!" She kicked him in the face, creating a dull cracking sound. "You pervert!" Crack, crack.  
  
Unfortunately, all of this excess movement in the ducts forced the bottom to give way, dropping Shinji and Asuka onto the ground below, in accordance with the Law of Anime, Article 47, subsection A (see Author Notes for an explanation). They also landed right in front of Dr. Ritsuko Akagi. Rei followed soon after, landing on her feet, on Asuka and Shinji.  
  
"Oh, that's where you've been!" Ritsuko smiled. Asuka and Shinji were able to get a glimpse of their surroundings, recognising the large room as the Cage, and spotted their Evangelions, all ready for combat, via the emergency diesel generators. Ritsuko shouted to the upper levels, "The pilots have arrived!"  
  
Gendo acknowledged this new information. "Prepare for manual entry!"  
  
Asuka picked herself up. "You mean the Evas are ready to launch? But how?"  
  
Ritsuko smiled. "It was all done by hand. There's a diesel generator that can start the Evas, and also emergency battery supplies on the Evas' backs."  
  
Gendo shouted to the kids. "Unit Five is already engaging the target, but he's low on power. By the time you get there, he'll probably be a liability. Engage the target while defending Unit Five."  
  
Three nods and "Hai"s was the response. The three pilots went for the elevator, to enter their Evangelions...  
  
--------------  
  
[This feeling...] Cyan had begun to feel the resurgence of that strange sense of anticipation. [What is this that I'm feeling?] As he thought it, it changed from anticipation to something nearer to determination mixed with glee...the word 'bloodlust' came to mind.  
  
[Is this something I'm supposed to feel inside the Eva? If it is, then why didn't Ritsuko tell me?] The feeling inside him now accompanied the strange pulling sensation from his chest.  
  
[And what is this? Can I sense where the Angel is..?] Suddenly, this pulling sensation increased, or to be more accurate, quadrupled.  
  
"About bloody time!" Cyan said, in the belief that this signified the activation of the other three Evangelions. "Better hang back for a while..."  
  
---------------  
  
"This is so embarrassing!" Asuka cried as Units Zero, One and Two proceeded to crawl through the biggest bloody ventilation duct in existence.  
  
"Vertical shaft in sight," Rei said, as Asuka put her foot through the steel cover, and climbed out to the shaft. The Evas progressed up the pipe until...  
  
"Gaah!" Rei felt a burning sensation rip through her back. Looking up, she saw giant globs of orange fluid fall from the top of the shaft. "It's acid! Watch out!" she warned.  
  
Asuka looked up, and a glob fell into her face. "Aaaagh!" she wailed, as her hands went to her face. She fell, crashing into Unit Two, causing them to fall, landing on Unit One. The three Evas fell, pilots screaming, until Shinji flung Unit One's arms out, getting a grip on a handhold. The momentum swung The Evangelions back into the ventilation shaft. There they waited.  
  
"It seems that the Angel is to attack the base directly using that acid," Rei concluded.  
  
"What are we gonna do?" Shinji asked.  
  
"What'll we do!? We'll defeat it of course!" Asuka shouted.  
  
"Yeah, but how?"  
  
"Maybe I can help..." Cyan's monitor appeared in the Evangelion's HUD.  
  
"Cyan! You still have power?"  
  
"Twenty-seven seconds and counting," Cyan said, "Where are you guys?"  
  
"In a vent shaft directly below an acid-drooling Angel," Asuka replied in a sarcastic cheer, "What's more we've lost our weapons down the shaft as well. How about you?"  
  
"I can help you. I'll clear the Angel away, one of you go down and get the guns, the other two come up top. Gunrunner throws up the guns, and the other two blast the crap outta this thing. Sound good?"  
  
Silence. "I've got fifteen seconds of power left, nine by the time I clear him. I can get in a few more hits, then he's all yours, got it?"  
  
"I will get the weapons," Rei said.  
  
"Hang on, Shinji, we're going up!"  
  
"Alright," Cyan said, "Here goes!" Unit Five charged at the Angel once more. It reared its head once more, spitting more dissolving solution at the Eva. Cyan raised his arm.  
  
"AT field!" The acid spilled off of an invisible barrier, creating a hexagonal effect, just as Ritsuko said it would. Cyan continued the charge, slashing his sword in front of him on his way past the Angel, sending it flying.  
  
"The shaft is clear! Come on up!"  
  
Mere seconds later, Unit One emerged followed by Unit Two. They stood either side of the pit, as two guns flew from the hole. Cyan was in front of the target, finely dicing the prey only just slower than it could regenerate.  
  
Asuka shouted to Cyan. "Cyan, fall back!"  
  
Cyan leapt into the air. "I'm clear!" He watched as rifle fodder riddled the minced body of the Angel, penetrating the flesh deeper than any sword strike, passing through the angel's core.  
  
The body collapsed, but it was hard to tell if it was alive or dead. The firing ceased. Cyan came down on the Angel's body like a thunderbolt, his katana passing through the angel like a hot prog knife through butter.  
  
"YEAH! MY HOUSE!" Cyan shouted, as he resheathed the sword, with split seconds to spare. The inside of the cockpit went dark once more...  
  
--------------  
  
Shinji was staring into the night sky, admiring the beauty of the stars, a beauty that can only really be seen through the absence of electricity.  
  
"It's ironic," he stated, "Without electricity and artificial light, the sky looks so beautiful at night..."  
  
"Yeah, but without the lights, it seems like there are no humans around..." Asuka complained. Almost as if to obey the German girl, the lights in the city were restored, block by block. "There, that's much better."  
  
"Mankind fears the darkness," Rei commented, "and so he scraped away at the edges of it with fire."  
  
"Hmph. A philosopher, huh?"  
  
Shinji thought of something. "Is that what makes us a special species? Is that why the Angels attack us?"  
  
"Who knows what they think?" a voice spoke up behind them. Shinji and Asuka turned to see Cyan walk down the hill, carrying four bags of take away food. Tossing a bag to each of the other pilots, he concluded by saying, "Eat up" in English, to make it sound more formal.  
  
Shinji and Asuka eagerly opened their bags to find a hamburger (apparently entitled "Quarter Pounder" according to the wrapper) and fries. Cyan sat on the grass, placing a tray of drinks in the middle. Rei opened her bag, to find another hamburger, to her slight dismay.  
  
"I dislike eating meat," she said softly.  
  
"Ah, don't worry," Cyan assured, "I don't think McDonalds ever did use real beef anyway. And if they did, they would have processed the hell out of it..."  
  
[God, haven't these people had McDonalds before?] Rei still looked at the burger as if it would contaminate her.  
  
"Look, if you still have a problem with it, then you can have my McChicken burger. That's got even less real meat in it." He offered his unopened burger to Wondergirl, smiling. Rei took Cyan up on the offer silently, and took a bite.  
  
"It's good," she said, chowing down on it. Cyan grinned, and bit into his quarter pounder.  
  
"This stuff's not bad!" Asuka commented, "Where did you say this came from?"  
  
"McDonalds," he said, "They used to be everywhere before Second Impact..."  
  
Three strange looks from his fellow pilots. "...Apparently," he quickly added.  
  
-------------  
  
"C'mon, open, please!" Misato pleaded with the escape hatch, "I need to go to the bathroom now!"  
  
Kaji looked up at the fearless, intrepid Misato Katsuragi, with a hint of wonder at how a woman like her ever made it to the rank of Captain. He also looked up her dress...  
  
"You aren't looking up my dress, are you!?" she growled.  
  
"No, ma'am," he replied. Just as he finished talking, the lights suddenly turned on again, and the elevator started. This caught the two people off balance, and they toppled to the floor, once again following Laws of Anime, Article 47, subsection A (look in the Author's Notes for an explanation.) The doors to the elevator opened, showing Ritsuko, Maya and Hyuga that a sweaty and exhausted Misato was laying on top of Kaji.  
  
"Ugh, sex fiends," Maya commented in disgust.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------  
  
In the next instalment of Where Am I?...I don't know yet...  
  
Author's Note: Well, there's Chapter 4. Sorry about the lengthy delay, as I've just been on holiday, without access to a computer. Chapter 5 should be coming soon.  
  
Laws of Anime Article 47, subsection A - Law of Sensual Collapsibility: Any two anime characters of the opposite gender, when falling, will always land in a sexually compromising position. 


	5. Life Ain't So Bad After All

Author's Note: Before you read this fan-fic, check my last one, The Last Gift She Expected. See that note up the top of every chapter? That bit that says "I do not own Gainax or any of its creations"? You don't? Ah well...anyway, I didn't then, and since then I haven't suddenly inherited a small mint, so I don't now, either.  
  
Where Am I? Chapter 5 -  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------  
  
[I can't believe that this show's still running!] Cyan was sitting in front of the television, laughing his ass off at Takeshi's Castle, an old TV show that he used to watch before...that happened. The basic premise was 100 people running through a gruelling obstacle course, then made to storm a castle armed with water pistols. Cyan found it hilarious.  
  
Shinji entered the room, and laughed as a businessman received a soccer ball shot from a cannon in the netheregions. Just then, the doorbell rang. Shinji went and opened the door, for a soaked Toji and Kensuke.  
  
"Hey guys," Shinji greeted the duo. He turned and shouted. "Cyan, get some towels!"  
  
"Thanks for letting us in, Shinji," Toji said as he and Kensuke walked into the kitchen, "That rainstorm came out of nowhere."  
  
"So, where's Misato?" Kensuke asked, as Cyan walked in with two towels.  
  
"Here you go," Cyan threw each of the boys a towel. "Misato? She's asleep. She's been doing a heap of night shifts lately."  
  
"Well, I guess we better keep quiet so we don't wake Misato up, right?" Kensuke suggested.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Shh!" Toji and Kensuke both silenced Shinji at the same time. Cyan couldn't help but stifle a laugh. A moment of silence prevailed, until an almost earsplitting cry came from a room marked with a sign saying "Do Not Enter Without Permission upon Pain Of Death!" in perfect German.  
  
"Hey! Why did you let these dufuses in here!?" Asuka cried through the partially opened door.  
  
After another "Shh!", Shinji replied. "Uh, drying themselves?"  
  
"Oh, a likely story!" Asuka dismissed the claim. "Well, I'm changing in here, so if any of you peek, you're dead!"  
  
This pissed off Toji immensely. "Why would anyone want to watch a snake changing its skin!?" he shouted. Just then, another door opened, revealing a fully uniformed Misato Katsuragi, minus shoes.  
  
"Oh, Misato, did we wake you up?" Kensuke asked apologetically.  
  
"No, I was already awake. Thanks for asking, though." She walked into the kitchen. "Shinji, Cyan, don't forget the Harmonics test this afternoon."  
  
"Hai." "Yeah, sure."  
  
"Did you get that, Asuka?" Misato shouted into the Forbidden Room.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Just then, Kensuke noticed a slight alteration of Misato's uniform. Shinji and Cyan both noticed that Kensuke began to act extremely formal around Misato.  
  
"Oh, Miss Misato," Kensuke stammered, "Congratulations on your promotion!" At this point Toji bowed as well.  
  
Misato smiled gently. "Oh, you're too kind," she said.  
  
"No ma'am," Kensuke said, "You deserved it!"  
  
"Well, thanks," Misato said graciously. "Oh, Cyan, Dr. Akagi wanted to see you about something. She said to bring you along this morning. Are you ready to go?"  
  
"Oh, hold on, I'll go put on something decent," Cyan said, commenting on his grubby clothes. He walked into "Heya Cyan" (Cyan's Room), and closed the door.  
  
At this point, Shinji turned to Misato. "Misato?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What are the Angels, anyway? It's been bothering me for a while now..."  
  
"What are the Angels? To be honest, I don't think anyone's too sure..."  
  
Kensuke lifted his head, after the world's longest bow. "Aw, c'mon! Anyone can see that they're alien invaders!"  
  
"Alien invaders!?" Asuka shouted from her room, "Gimme a break!"  
  
"Well, why are they called Angels? They've got the names of Angels too...in the news, they're given names like Israfel, Sandalphon, Matariel...all Angel names..."  
  
"He's right," Cyan said, exiting his room, wearing black cargoes, and a black casual shirt with red trim (as close as he could find to his favourite shirt from back home), "I did Bible-bashing for a few years back at school. They're all names of angels. The next few are going to be Sahaquiel, Ireul, Leliel..."  
  
"Alright, that's enough," Misato ended the conversation, "Time to go, Cyan."  
  
"Alright." He was about to walk off when he turned back around to face the boys. "You know, I can still remember a certain passage...'God created Man and Woman..."  
  
He back-pedalled past Asuka's lair, glancing into the gap, and was given an unrestricted view of Asuka, reaching down to pick up a school shirt. "And He saw that it was gooooooood..." he finished, wincing in mock pain (well, the view was pretty hot, wasn't it?). He turned away, following Misato, leaving Shinji, Toji and Kensuke, watching half in amazement and half in pity for Cyan when Asuka found out what he did.  
  
-------------  
  
As the door closed behind Cyan, he followed Misato to the elevator.  
  
"I suppose that makes you a Major now, doesn't it?"  
  
"Yep," Misato said, rather shortly. Cyan picked up on this.  
  
"You don't sound to happy about it..."  
  
"You're right. I don't."  
  
"Jeez, just trying to start a conversation..." Cyan waited in vain for a response. [Better change the subject...]  
  
"So what's the deal with Toji and Kensuke? I think they want you..."  
  
This got a laugh out of Misato. "Hah! You're right, they've always been so bloody polite, and they're always pointing that bloody camera at me!"  
  
"Knowing Kensuke, I'd bet he has, uh...other footage of you..."  
  
"...what?" Misato's tone changed slightly, moving closer to lightly peeved.  
  
"Let's just say if I were you I'd watch what I do in front of a surveillance camera..."  
  
"What are you implying!?" Moving again to angry.  
  
"Remember the blackout a few days ago? You were stranded in an elevator, weren't you?"  
  
"Yes..." Staying steady at 'Angry'...  
  
"Remember thumping against the service hatch with your fists, asking it to open?"  
  
"Yes..." Staying at 'Angry'...  
  
"With your chest facing the camera?"  
  
"...Oh..." Misato stopped walking, clearly pissed. Cyan also stopped. [I do NOT want fourteen-year-olds beating off to the tune of my bouncing tits...] "Uh, Cyan...how good are you with computers?"  
  
"Good enough. Why, Major?"  
  
"You couldn't...get it back, could you?"  
  
[Ha! I knew she wouldn't want those fourteen-year-olds whacking off over her chest!] "Maybe...I haven't seen Mr. Aida's security features yet."  
  
"I would go to Ritsuko, but I don't exactly want to tell her..."  
  
"I see..." Cyan thought it over. "I'll see what I can do."  
  
"Thanks, Cyan," she smiled, before going for the elevator again.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------  
  
"Dr. Akagi, you wanted to see me?"  
  
Ritsuko turned around. "Ritsuko's fine, Cyan. Come on in." Cyan walked into Ritsuko's office, and took a seat.  
  
"So, did you find out anything wrong with me?"  
  
"Well, yes and no..." Ritsuko began, "I received a print out of your brainwave patterns during your battle against the Eighth Angel, and it did shed some light on what it could be."  
  
"Really?" Cyan's interest perked.  
  
"I can only explain it in complicated terms, so bear with me. As you know, an Angel emits an AT field, much like your Eva can. What most people don't know is that AT stands for Absolute Terror; the enemy simply cannot gather the bravery to penetrate this barrier. Do you follow?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Whenever the Angel activated its AT field, you felt a peak in that anticipation feeling of yours, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I did... What does it mean?"  
  
"It seems that people with certain molecular structures are drawn to the power of the AT field, exactly the opposite of what it is intended. I can't tell you exactly what this means, because there's only two other things I know of with the same phenomenon...and it can't be the same problem..."  
  
"Why not? What other things?"  
  
"One is the Eva itself, and the other...I can't say, but I can assure you that you don't have the same problem as...this person."  
  
Cyan sat back in the chair, after hanging on the edge of his seat, in anticipation of an answer. [Looks like I have to wait more for an answer...]  
  
"You want to get a coffee or something? You've still got two hours until your Harmonics test."  
  
"Yeah, why not?" They both rose from their chairs, and walked to the office.  
  
"Asuka tells my you're pretty good at Unreal Tournament..."  
  
Cyan grinned. "Pretty good!? I owned her!"  
  
"You know about the Magi? You know their processing speed?"  
  
[I know it's bloody fast...] "You play Unreal Tournament on THOSE!?"  
  
"Yup. Pretty clear graphics...I'm not bad myself, you know..."  
  
"Is that a challenge?" Cyan asked, adopting a very Asuka-esqe tone.  
  
"If you're up to it..."  
  
-------------  
  
[Breathe in...Breathe out...Breathe in...Breathe out...]  
  
Cyan was focusing on his harmonics with his Eva, and trying not to think about how stupid it sounded. Meanwhile, Ritsuko was monitoring the pilots' results from the Pribnow Box.  
  
"Looks like Units Zero and Two are on the edge of the contamination zone," Maya said.  
  
"Unit Five is lagging a little behind, but it can still take a little more, as well as Unit One. Lower the graph depth another 0.3%."  
  
Shinji and Cyan almost immediately felt this extra pressure, but rose to the occasion, each maintaining their steady sync ratios.  
  
"Shinji's almost reached the contamination zone," Maya reported, "but the graph drop has had no effect on Cyan whatsoever."  
  
"That's odd," Ritsuko said, "It's almost as if it's her all over again...Lower his graph depth another 0.2%."  
  
Maya gasped. "But that takes him onto the Ego borderline!"  
  
"Just do it, Maya," Ritsuko said. Maya shrugged, and obeyed her superior's directive.  
  
Cyan started to see things...things he didn't want to remember, such as images from his old life...his old friends...his mother... He started to show signs of stress, the emotional strain was beginning to take hold...  
  
"Okay, that's enough, guys," Ritsuko said hastily, before Cyan suffered any more, "Take five and then we'll get you out."  
  
"God, finally!" Asuka ranted, "I thought we'd never get out of that one!"  
  
Cyan opened his eyes. [Whoa...that was tough...] He kicked back. [Why do they test us like this? Don't they think that trying to fight an Angel is enough emotional stress? That Angel fight was intense...yeah, nothing like a earth-killing giant creature from God-knows-where to get the adrenalin pumping...I gotta admit, it was fun...]  
  
--------------  
  
Meanwhile, Maya and Ritsuko were discussing the results of the harmonics test.  
  
"Shinji's definitely improving," Maya commented, "His sync ratio is rapidly catching with Asuka's."  
  
"It's almost as if he was born to pilot the Eva..." a techie said.  
  
"There's no denying it," Ritsuko said, "He does have talent. Cyan, though..."  
  
"He's got a relatively low sync rate, but he can maintain it, even in cases of extreme mental pressure. If he worked on improving his sync ratio, he would be a great pilot."  
  
Down in the pool, the plugs opened, and Asuka exited her entry plug in a spectacular pike dive. Cyan, while going into the LCL, was content with sliding in quietly.  
  
"Hey, Cyan, you know you can breathe this stuff, don't you?" she said.  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
Asuka grinned as she let herself drop in the water. Cyan followed. As his ears entered the water, he heard a voice, a very deep voice, but still completely recognisable as Asuka's.  
  
"I need to talk to you about something," Asuka confessed.  
  
"Well, talk." Cyan said, but in a much lower voice. [Weird...]  
  
"Have you met Kaji yet?"  
  
"No, who's he?"  
  
"Oh, he's this really cute guy," Asuka said, in a lovey-dovey voice, which just sounded wrong really low-pitched, "but whenever I try to put the moves on him, he doesn't seem to notice..."  
  
"Oh...you want to talk to ME about that?"  
  
"What?! I'm not gonna talk to Shinji about it, am I!?"  
  
"What about Misato?"  
  
"Um...Kaji used to be with Misato..."  
  
Cyan's image of Kaji suddenly matured a lot. "He's Misato's age?"  
  
"Yeah, but he's so cute..."  
  
"Well, there's your problem!" Cyan said.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"If he's Misato's age, then he probably thinks you're too young for him. I mean, he's what, thirty, thirty-five? And you're fourteen, fifteen?"  
  
Asuka sighed (very hard to do underwater). "I guess you're right..."  
  
Asuka began to resurface. "Oh, and one more thing..."  
  
"Yeah, Asuka?"  
  
"I know what you did this morning. You will die."  
  
Cyan laughed as he swam back for the surface.  
  
--------------  
  
"So, what were the results of his first harmonics test?" Gendo asked with his usual steely cold voice.  
  
"At first I thought that the incident involving the Sixth Angel had had an adverse effect on him, as what had happened to her," Ritsuko reported, "During the harmonics test, he did not respond at all to drops in the sync depth. Only when he was pushed to the very limits of the Ego Borderline to place stress on his cerebral cortex did we receive any reaction."  
  
"It hasn't begun yet," Gendo said, "but it will, very soon. Keep a close eye on him, Dr. Akagi."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Gendo hung up the mobile phone. Fuyutski spoke up.  
  
"And to think in our day it was rare to be able to keep in touch with someone by mobile phone between cities..."  
  
Gendo smiled. "Science is what makes us strong, Professor. Science has enabled us to reach the corners of the globe..."  
  
Fuyutski looked around outside the ship they were aboard. "Once this was a living continent, Antarctica. Now it's an ocean of death." He felt repelled by the unnatural red ocean, as if it was red with blood. "The pole, not just another name for hell..."  
  
"Nonetheless mankind has returned to this wasteland. In the midst of death, we still live."  
  
"Still, we can only return under the protective veil of science..."  
  
Gendo rebutted his former mentor's argument. "Science is what makes us powerful."  
  
Fuyutski shot right back, "That type of arrogance is what caused the tragedy of fifteen years ago. And this," he said, waving his arm around to refer to his surroundings, "is the end result. The original Dead Sea. This is a punishment mankind far from deserved."  
  
"This is merely a world purged of the original sin."  
  
"I'd rather live in a world with people." Fuyutski decided to change the subject. "I suppose the council is angry that NERV has accommodated for that stranger."  
  
"It is still in accordance with the scenario."  
  
"Ours or theirs?"  
  
"Both."  
  
Fuyutski changed the subject. "Do you think it's possible that he could become a threat?"  
  
"His internal examination after the treatment revealed no trace of foreign tissue in his body. There's no threat whatsoever."  
  
Fuyutski wasn't convinced. "What we're doing is too risky..."  
  
-----------------  
  
Cyan was sitting in Heya Cyan, at his desk, looking over the homework.  
  
[And to think two weeks ago I wouldn't have been able to read a word of this... But then again, it wasn't really two weeks ago, was it? It was twelve years ago...that makes me twenty eight...Hm, Misato's age...] Cyan smirked, then went back to him homework.  
  
The problems that he was covering in maths weren't that much different from the stuff he used to do in his old maths class, the same with most of the physics work. The only thing he really needed to go over in depth was Kanji and History.  
  
[Hmph. Half of this never happened in my time.] Cyan reviewed the textbook.  
  
"...The Second Impact was caused by the Guggenheimer comet, which crashed into Antarctica..." [A lie. Adam caused Second Impact...Not some comet...] Cyan's thoughts soon turned away from homework, and went instead to the strange feeling he experienced inside the Eva.  
  
[Asuka never mentioned it, and nor did Ritsuko...so what is it? Is something wrong with me?] These subtle differences between his experience in an Eva and Shinji's or Asuka's were starting to disturb him.  
  
-----------------  
  
"Congratulations, Misato!" the gathering of people cheered.  
  
Misato, adorned with a sash proudly reading "Major", smiled broadly at the reception she received from Shinji, Asuka, Hikari, Cyan, Toji and Kensuke, in celebration of her promotion.  
  
"Thank you guys!" she said, elated. "And thank you, Toji, for organising all this."  
  
"No, no," he shrugged, "This was Kensuke's idea."  
  
"That's right!" Kensuke shot to his feet. "I, Kensuke Aida, am the mastermind behind this dinner!"  
  
"Oh, well I suppose I should thank you, Kensuke!" Misato thanked the boy.  
  
A humbled Kensuke sat back down. "Oh, it was nothing..."  
  
"Hey, just what is Hikari doing here, anyway?" Toji asked.  
  
"Don't be so rude!" Asuka snarled at Toji, "She's my guest!" She smiled, as the two girls looked at each other. "Ja!" they said in unison.  
  
"Did you invite Rei as well?" Misato asked the Second Child.  
  
"I invited her," Asuka explained the First Child's absence, "but she doesn't really seem like a party person, does she?"  
  
"Who else was coming, Kensuke?" Cyan asked.  
  
"Uh, apart from us, Ritsuko, Maya, Hyuga, Aoba, Kaji..."  
  
Hikari perked at the sound of Kaji's name. "Kaji? You mean that really cool looking guy who never shaves?"  
  
"Yeah," Asuka sighed, "After having to put up with these dorks all the time, it's nice to know what a real man is like," she said referring to the Three Stooges.  
  
"A real man!? What do you mean by that!?" Kensuke growled.  
  
"I'll show you a real man!" Toji stood up, ready to demonstrate his case with his fists. Asuka was already up on her feet, fists clenched and presented to Toji.  
  
"You want some of this?!" she shouted angrily. Cyan laughed as the argument engulfed everyone but he, Shinji and Misato.  
  
"So, kid," Misato asked Shinji, "Still uncomfortable in this kind of situation?"  
  
"Yeah, a bit. I'm just not used to being around so many people..." Shinji looked at Misato. "You don't seem really happy you were promoted..."  
  
"I have my reasons..."  
  
"Misato...why did you join NERV?"  
  
"To be honest I can't exactly remember, it was so long ago..." Cyan listened to this normal conversation instead of the rabble that had broken out in front of him, only to find his attention snatched by Asuka's shrill voice.  
  
"Maybe you'd be more of a man if you weren't obsessed with your non- existent muscles! Isn't that right, Cyan!?"  
  
Cyan leaned back, hands raised. "Ye...I mean n... Hey, don't drag me into this!"  
  
Toji and Asuka both leaned in threateningly toward Cyan. "What!?"  
  
Fortunately for Cyan, the doorbell saved him. Asuka brightened. "That's gotta be Kaji!"  
  
She ran for the door, opening it in a hurry. Kaji and Ritsuko greeted her, much to her dismay.  
  
"I came directly from Headquarters," Kaji explained his company, "We just happened to meet on the way."  
  
Asuka and Misato had equally scornful expressions. "A likely story," they said bluntly.  
  
"You aren't jealous, are you?" Ritsuko teased.  
  
"Absolutely not." Misato said, Asuka keeping quiet.  
  
"I'd like to give you my sincerest regards, Major Katsuragi," Kaji said formally, bowing in respect, "I suppose I'll have to be polite to you from now on."  
  
"Hmph, and just what does that mean?" Misato said into her beercan.  
  
"Well, Commanders Ikari and Fuyutski have never left Japan at the same time before. I guess they must really think that old Katsuragi here is dependable."  
  
"You mean that my father's left Japan again?" Shinji asked Ritsuko.  
  
"That's right," Ritsuko replied, "He's at the South Pole." She then redirected her conversation to Misato. "Is this everyone?"  
  
"No," Misato said, "Hyuga and Aoba were coming, and we invited Rei as well..."  
  
"Rei? Is she coming?"  
  
"I don't know," Asuka said, "She never called back..."  
  
---------------  
  
Rei was still in her flat, lying on her bed. She had decided not to accept Asuka's invitation of a party in honour of Misato's promotion. She didn't know why Commander Ikari forbade her from attending such occasions, nor did she care. She wasn't ordered to care; she was only ordered to defeat Angels...  
  
Suddenly she felt her stomach turn slightly, a sign to her that another presence was approaching. Thirteen years of NERV defence training kicked in as her eyes shot open, darting around the room. No one was there, which told Rei one thing:  
  
"The next one." Without another word or thought, she dressed, left her apartment and ran for NERV headquarters.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------  
  
Well, there's Chapter Five, see you next time. 


	6. Shadows Of The Past

Author's Note: Before you read this fan-fic, check my last one, The Last Gift She Expected. See that note up the top of every chapter? That bit that says "I do not own Gainax or any of its creations"? You don't? Ah well...anyway, I didn't then, and since then I haven't suddenly inherited a small mint, so I don't now, either.  
  
Where Am I, Chapter 6 - Another Normal Week : Shadows of the Past  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------  
  
"The Angel appeared about two minutes ago," Hyuga reported.  
  
"Send Recon satellite 6 to that orbit. Give us a look at this thing..." Misato was peeved. It wasn't every day that people threw a party about a promotion, even if you didn't care about it in the first place.  
  
"Target has been sighted," Aoba confirmed, "Patching it up on the main screen."  
  
The image of the Angel was displayed, showing the NERV technicians that it was easily four times the size of an observation satellite.  
  
"My God, it's enormous!" Hyuga commented.  
  
"It's impressive, alright..."  
  
"Recon 6 is now in range," Aoba said, "Commencing analysis..."  
  
A few seconds later, just after the analysis was complete, the satellite crumpled, as if being crushed by an invisible compacter, and the picture was soon replaced by snow.  
  
"Was that an AT field?" Misato asked.  
  
"Yes," Ritsuko deducted, "A new way of using one..."  
  
"Radar has detected a high speed object heading towards the Pacific Ocean!" Aoba cried.  
  
Ground cameras were instantly put up on the screen, which showed an orange coloured blob, descending at a great speed. Seconds later, they were staring at an immense tsunami, heading outwards from the impact point.  
  
"That's an AT field impact..." Misato confirmed.  
  
"It's getting smarter too," Ritsuko informed the current Acting Commander, "With every shot, it's been improving its aim."  
  
Misato didn't need to ask her next question. "It's coming here, isn't it?"  
  
"I'd say so."  
  
"What if it falls on us? Will there be a third Ashinoka Lake?"  
  
"Actually, according to our calculations, this whole area will become part of the Pacific Ocean."  
  
"So what will we do?"  
  
"Evacuate the city. Evacuate all non-essential staff as well. Also, prepare Evas for activation."  
  
"The Evas?" Ritsuko asked, almost letting her shock disrupt her calm exterior, "This Angel is a huge living bomb! It could just as easily destroy the Evas as well!"  
  
"We have no choice!" Misato growled, "Get the Evas ready! I'll brief them on their mission..."  
  
------------------  
  
"What!? You want us to catch it with our hands!?" Asuka didn't like this plan.  
  
"That's right. We'll locate the Evas in the estimated drop zone, then while maintaining your AT fields, you'll catch it before it hits the ground."  
  
"But what if it doesn't fall where you think it will?" Shinji asked, a hint of worry in his voice.  
  
"Then there'll be a little 'boom'," Misato joked.  
  
"But what if the Eva's can't handle it?" Asuka asked.  
  
"We'll all be blown to the moon."  
  
"What are our chances?"  
  
"I've got no idea. Not so good, in my opinion..."  
  
"Well, there's a lot of faith..." Cyan commented sarcastically, "If we pull this off, it'll be a miracle..."  
  
"Miracles don't just happen, people have to make them happen."  
  
"You're saying we have to sacrifice ourselves?" This sounded a little too philosophical for Asuka.  
  
"I'm sorry, Asuka. We've got no other choice. This is the best plan."  
  
"How can you call something this crazy a plan!?" Asuka was back to normal.  
  
Misato stayed silent for a short while, saying, "I suppose I can't really...if any of you want to pull out, I'll understand."  
  
No reaction. "I see...so you are okay with this?"  
  
Still no reaction. "Regulations state you all have to write a will. Have you guys done so?"  
  
"I don't need to, I won't die just yet." Asuka was first to reply.  
  
"Neither do I. There is no point to it." Rei was next.  
  
"Yeah, me neither." Shinji was next.  
  
"Ditto." Cyan brought up the rear.  
  
"Okay...but I promise to treat you all to a state dinner, okay?"  
  
"A state dinner!?" Asuka was surprised, silently hoping that Misato wouldn't be cooking.  
  
"Wow..."  
  
"You won't forget, right?"  
  
"I swear, I won't..." Misato walked away, leaving the Children to talk the situation over.  
  
"A state dinner's supposed to impress us?" Shinji lamented.  
  
"Who would go nuts over a stupid state dinner?" Asuka complained at Misato's stinginess. "And plus, that 'Wow' you made sounded pretty convincing to me, Shinji!"  
  
"Hey, give Misato a little credit," Cyan requested of Asuka, "She's hard pressed as it is, she doesn't need us whining for little extras that we can live without."  
  
Asuka resigned her tirade, and reached into her school bag. "Might as well figure out where she'll be taking us...you're coming with us, aren't you Wondergirl?"  
  
"No..."  
  
Shinji looked across at Rei. "Why not?"  
  
"What are you, stupid?!" Asuka snapped at Shinji, much like she did any other time, "Rei's a vegetarian, remember?"  
  
Cyan sighed, and walked off to the changerooms. [Damn kids...]  
  
---------------  
  
The elevator to the Cages had never been longer for Cyan. Usually he had either Asuka or Shinji to talk to. At least when Rei went up with him, he could have some form of conversation, regardless of how brief it was. It just so happened that he was ready to fight another Angel before everyone else, which meant that he had the privilege of going down the elevator solo.  
  
[Back into the Eva again...This is a pretty dangerous life...] Cyan thought to himself. [At least I've made some friends here...and there's nothing left to remind me of her any more...]  
  
The elevator stopped at the Cage, and Cyan disembarked, heading towards his Evangelion.  
  
[And to think, two weeks ago I was worried I wouldn't get an English assignment in on time...] Cyan laughed inwardly.  
  
----------------  
  
Mere minutes later, Cyan was stationed on the edge of the city, waiting for the order to move out. If he squinted, he could see Shinji in Unit One, further out to his left, and Rei in Unit Zero, out to his right. He could also sense something approaching him from above, something really big...  
  
[Must be the Angel...] he said. A window opened up on his graphical interface. "Okay," Misato briefed the pilots, "It's going to penetrate the earth's ozone layer in ten seconds. We estimate the Angel will attempt to land somewhere in Shinji's area. Run for there in...5...4...3...2...1...Move out!"  
  
Cyan started to run, despite the immense pain that shot through his system as the Angel burst into the atmosphere. He ran on, ignoring the pain as he leapt over a set of powerlines. Asuka and Rei were proceeding through the central lake, ploughing through the water at great speed. Shinji was running through the streets, watching the sky for a visual on the Angel.  
  
"The Angel's going to land on a hill right in front of you guys!" he said before pouring on more speed. The acceleration was incredible, as Unit One moved like a blur.  
  
Back in the Command Centre, Maya was wide-eyed. "Unit One just went supersonic!"  
  
Ritsuko erased the last few seconds with a few taps on the keyboard. "No it didn't," she said, glancing at Maya with a scolding look.  
  
Shinji was first to reach it, digging his heels into the ground to brake from a speed that blew past the sound barrier. He went below the Angel, and expanded his field, lifting the Angel away from the ground. He began to strain under the weight of the Angel, but continued to push upward.  
  
Cyan was next to reach it. He positioned himself next to Shinji, and expanded his field, Shinji slightly relieved to share the weight with someone else. Still it began to fall again.  
  
Cyan put all his focus into keeping his field up. Suddenly, something happened that destroyed that focus. A chillingly dark voice pierced through his mind.  
  
{Who are you?} Cyan heard in his head. {Why are you destroying my comrades?}  
  
Cyan held his head in pain with one hand as the thoughts continued. Shinji felt the weight increase.  
  
"Cyan! What's going on!? Put up your field!"  
  
----------------  
  
"What's happening!?" Ritsuko shouted.  
  
Maya looked at the readings. "The Angel's trying to communicate with Unit Five!"  
  
"How is that possible!? Cut off the signal input!" Misato ordered.  
  
"We can't! It's overriding it!"  
  
"What did you say!?"  
  
---------------  
  
[You want to destroy us!] Cyan thought, answering the dark voice's question, [We have to destroy you!]  
  
{But you are one of us...}  
  
Cyan gasped. [How can we be one of you if we don't even know what you are!?]  
  
{I see...you still don't know what you are...} The voice fled Cyan's mind, enabling him to maintain his AT field more effectively with both arms.  
  
Rei and Asuka approached the Angel from opposite sides. "Unit Two," Rei shouted, "Expand your field!"  
  
"I'm already doing it!" Asuka riposted. They both reached the boys at the same time, easing the tension on them.  
  
"You're late, ladies," Cyan grunted through the stress. [The Angel can't penetrate four AT fields, could he?]  
  
"What now?" Shinji asked. Rei had the answer, drawing her Eva Unit's prog knife and slicing through the Angel's field.  
  
Asuka followed suit. "Eat this, aschlugh!" she cried, while driving her retractable prog blade up into the Angel's fleshy Core. The Angel faltered, spasming with the fatal blow before detonating, albeit with a much weaker than predicted blast. Sahaquiel was defeated.  
  
Cyan relaxed in ease. [Another one down...] Suddenly, he heard the low voice again.  
  
{You'll see soon enough...}  
  
----------------  
  
"Well, this'll be interesting," Cyan said, as they walked down the street, "The first time I've tried traditional Japanese food..."  
  
Misato gave a mock-shocked gasp. "And what do you call my food, Cyan?"  
  
"I call that traditional Japanese poison." Asuka and Shinji gave a short laugh, as Misato lashed out against Cyan. He dodged the blow easily. Rei looked on, unsure of what to think. "Far too slow, Major," he taunted.  
  
Misato growled, and told Cyan off. "That's it, you're paying tonight."  
  
"Aw, come on!" Cyan complained. The reached their destination, and sat at the ramen bar.  
  
Rei was first to order. "One garlic ramen with no roast pork."  
  
"One shark's fin ramen with roast pork," Asuka said enthusiastically, "Supersize it!" Cyan could be heard complaining in the background.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll pay," Misato said with a smile as she ordered curry ramen with roast beef.  
  
"I'll have the same," Cyan said as he sat down next to Rei. Shinji ordered sweet and sour with chicken.  
  
"So, what took you so long to get to me, Asuka?" Shinji asked.  
  
"What!? How dare you accuse me of being lazy!" Asuka bit his head off. Soon an argument broke out, with Misato stuck right in the middle. Cyan listened in, until the least likely person addressed him directly.  
  
"You heard it, didn't you?" Rei asked.  
  
Cyan looked at Rei. "I'm sorry?"  
  
"Israfel spoke to you, didn't it?"  
  
Cyan was shocked. "Um...no..."  
  
"Why do you lie to me?"  
  
"I...dunno..." Cyan was silent. [How does she know what I'm thinking?] "How...did you know?"  
  
Rei looked ahead into space. "I hear it too...every time..."  
  
"They talk to you?"  
  
"The Angels...the Eva...they all do..."  
  
"Is this normal?" Cyan asked. "A-Are you supposed to hear it?"  
  
"Ikari and Sohryu don't hear it...but if you do, then...maybe..." Rei dismissed it. "It is beyond my comprehension."  
  
Cyan thought back to the battle, that cold voice... "Isn't it distracting?"  
  
Rei looked at Cyan, and his attention drew to her blood red eyes. "I don't speak back."  
  
"Wait...how did you know I talked back?" Cyan thought back to the incident. "I-I didn't even say anything!"  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
Cyan looked back at his ramen and sighed. "I wonder why we can hear them, and Shinji and Asuka can't..."  
  
"Huh? Did you say something, Cyan?" Asuka interrupted.  
  
"Huh? Oh, no, nothing," he replied.  
  
----------------  
  
Cyan began to think back over the twenty-four hours since the last Angel attack. Since Sahaquiel's defeat, the evil mastermind Ritsuko decided it was necessary for the pilots to undergo tests 'without the interference of the plug suits'.  
  
[Bloody perverted bitch...] To him Asuka put it the best way: "butt naked and run through the wash cycle seventeen times". Thank God there were only two screen dividers, which meant that he went separately from the other pilots. It was during the other three's test run, however, that things got interesting. It all began with what was supposed to be 'minor erosion' that turned into something far worse. The Eleventh Angel had used this form to penetrate as far as the Pribnow Box, where the test bodies were stored, and where the other pilots were doing their test runs.  
  
----------------  
  
"Pilot Monteru," Gendo commanded, "Retrieve the pilots of Units Zero, One and Two, and return them here."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Cyan complained, "Asuka would chew my ass off if I went out to her when she's naked..."  
  
"Are you aware what happens to those who don't follow orders, Pilot Monteru?"  
  
Cyan growled. "Okay, but don't blame me if you're short one pilot when they get back..." He turned and left.  
  
Gendo was infuriated on the inside. [Damn smart-ass kid...]  
  
Cyan thought it would be wise if he got their plug suits for them. Shinji's was easy enough, as they were the same gender.  
  
['Spose I better get Asuka's and Rei's...] Cyan thought. He casually glanced around to make sure nobody could see him before he quickly ducked into the Women's changerooms.  
  
Glancing around the alien room, Cyan scanned the lockers for one titled "Sohryu, A" or "Ayanami, R".  
  
"Damn Kanji," he muttered. Just then, he heard voices echoing from the hallway. Cyan concealed himself behind a row of lockers. [Please don't come in here...]  
  
As fate would have it, the door opened, and Misato entered, accompanied by Ritsuko. Pinning himself to the wall so as to minimise his shadow, Cyan crept along the face of the wall, in an effort to move away from the doorway. While he did this, he thanked Metal Gear Solid, the game that taught him almost everything he knew about stealth intrusion.  
  
"How are we supposed to stop an Angel without the Evangelion?" Misato asked casually.  
  
"Seeing as the Angel has taken the form similar to that of a computer chip, we might be able to find a way to overload its circuit, or trick it into executing a self destruct sequence of its own, instead of ours."  
  
Misato made a whooshing motion with her hand, to suggest that everything Ritsuko had said went clean over her purple haired head.  
  
Ritsuko stifled a laugh. "Basically, we get the program to delete itself."  
  
Cyan was bored already. He snuck around to the locker area, and found Asuka's locker. Grabbing her plug suit, he was about to go to Rei's locker (which he had spotted across the hall) when the two NERV operatives walked back.  
  
[Shit!] Cyan ran for cover, in this case the inside of Asuka's locker. He slammed the door as fast as he could without making a sound. He leaned closer to the grate, so as to look out of it.  
  
"This is crazy!" Misato said, "You really think you can make a program that complicated, that fast?"  
  
"Of course," Ritsuko said with all the confidence in the world. Cyan then realised that something bad was going to happen. An article of Asuka's clothing was tickling his nose.  
  
[Aaahhh...I'm can't sneeze...not now...] "I'm not sure about this Ritsuko..." Misato said as she made for the door.  
  
Despite his efforts, Cyan couldn't hold it back. "A-choo!" he did everything he could to conceal the noise, but it was no use. Two guns flashed from deep pockets, and concentrated on the door of Asuka's locker. [Shit! Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit!]  
  
Misato walked slowly towards the locker, with even-paced steps. Her eyes seemed to penetrate the locker, gazing directly at Cyan. Cyan's mind began to race, thinking of all the horrible things could happen if he was caught in Asuka's locker...then cringed at the thought of what would happen if Asuka found out... Misato paused, two feet from the locker.  
  
"Anything?" Ritsuko called out.  
  
Misato lied. "Nothing," she said softly, barely audible to Ritsuko. Ritsuko reholstered her gun, and left the changerooms.  
  
"If you tell Asuka..." Cyan began.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing in here?" Misato asked quickly.  
  
"I went to...to get...the girls'...clothes, and then you came in, and, uh..."  
  
Misato's gun went back to his home. "If Asuka found out you wouldn't live past tomorrow. You know that, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah..." Misato opened the locker for Cyan, and he climbed out.  
  
"These lockers don't open from the inside," Misato said, "I just saved you a hell of a lot of embarrassment."  
  
"Thanks," Cyan blushed, still flustered that he was caught. He went to Rei's locker, and grabbed her plug suit before turning to Misato again. "No one else hears about this, got it?"  
  
"Sure." Cyan backed out of the door, and walked calmly until he was out of Misato's field of vision, before running as fast as he could...  
  
-----------------  
  
Asuka sat there, shivering in the now cold entry plug, with little to warm her but the sheer anger at being set in the middle of Ashinoka Lake in the nude. Thankfully the emergency hatch was closed.  
  
"Aww, HOW AM I GONNA GET OUTTA HERE NAKED!?" she cried for all the world to hear, "Somebody help me! Hello?"  
  
Her answer came as a knock on the plug suit wall. "It's me," she heard a cry from the lake, "Open the hatch so I can throw your plug suit in."  
  
Asuka didn't believe Cyan for a second. "Yeah, so you can get a peek like you did a few days ago?"  
  
"Yeah, that's right, I'll magically float myself out of the water so I can perve on you getting changed. We're in a lake, you know."  
  
Asuka opened the service hatch, grumbling something along the lines of "wouldn't put it past you...". LCL ran off into the lake as the hatch opened. Shortly after, a red plug suit landed in the LCL. Asuka hurriedly grabbed it and got changed.  
  
Cyan used the entry plug to kick off into Rei's direction, failing to hear the "Thanks," from Asuka. Being Australian, Cyan had no problem negotiating the water, and got to Rei's plug in no time. A similar procedure ensued, despite the lack of cheek from Rei. Once Cyan kicked away from Rei's plug, Asuka had jumped into the water.  
  
"So where's the rest of the recovery team?" Asuka asked casually.  
  
"You're looking at him," Cyan replied.  
  
"You mean they only sent one crummy operative to collect us!? How cheap are they?" Asuka complained.  
  
"You do know an Angel attacked, don't you?"  
  
Asuka shut up. "Oh..." she said. Cyan began to swim for Shinji's plug.  
  
"Y'know, I should give you credit for swimming out this far while carrying three plug suits," Asuka commented.  
  
"Ah, I'm Austra..." Cyan almost said the A-word. "...uh, I did a lot of swimming back home. Hey, Shinji, open up!"  
  
The third and final entry plug opened, and Cyan tossed the plug suit in. A few minutes later, Shinji poked his head over the wall of the plug.  
  
"Uh...Cyan...I can't...swim..."  
  
Cyan looked up at Shinji. "Ah..." [Great...my night just can't get any better...]  
  
------------------  
  
Cyan ended up having to swim with Shinji clinging to his back. It was tough, Shinji was a lot heavier than he looked, but he managed. Yep, two Angel attacks, Cyan's life in danger twice, busted sneaking around in the women's changerooms.... Just your average week...  
  
He closed his eyes, and lay back on the couch, legs bent so he could fit on.  
  
[Damn small couch...] He soon drifted off to sleep...  
  
------------------  
  
"SURPRISE!" the occupants of the room shouted in glee. Cyan looked around stunned, only to see Mrs. Murphy produce a large chocolate cake.  
  
"Happy seventeenth birthday, Rory!" she beamed, holding the cake in front of her, proud of her creation. Cyan smiled, blood rushing to his face in embarrassment.  
  
"Thanks guys," he said graciously, before doing the rounds, greeting and thanking the friends of his that masterminded the surprise party. He looked around the lounge room, covered in streamers and balloons. [Mrs. Murphy sure put in a lot of effort into this...and I only just met her...] It was only a week ago that Rory had started staying in Sale with the Murphys, saving him from catching the long bus ride from his hometown and back just to get to school.  
  
Two girls, the shorter one with shoulder length blonde hair, the other with long dark hair, rushed to Cyan and hugged him. "Happy birthday, Rory!" they chorused, clutching onto Rory for dear life.  
  
"Thanks for all this, Vic," he replied, addressing the shorter girl, "I presume this was you?"  
  
"No," the longhaired one said, "It was I! Hahahah!"  
  
"Then thanks, Zoe," he thanked her, before they took him away to talk with his other friends.  
  
"Hey, Rory!" Benk greeted the birthday boy, his left arm wrapped over Amy's shoulder, "What's happening?"  
  
"Not much," Cyan replied, "I just came home and, whoa!"  
  
Cyan had just glimpsed the pile of presents, many of them a very familiar shape. "God damn, that's a lot of chocolate..."  
  
"Well at least me and Sarah were original..." Amy piped up, referring to hers and Sarah's presents.  
  
"Hey, there he is!" Cyan looked toward the door, to see that a few more of his friends had just walked in. "It's Chosis!"  
  
Cyan smiled, as he already knew it would be his LANning mates, Phil, Luke and Alex. "Hey guys!" he replied, receiving his mates' presents and placing them on the pile.  
  
"Cyan..." Cyan's head turned. A blue haired girl walked towards him, an arm beckoning him closer.  
  
"Rei..." [Rei!? Who is that? How the hell do I know her name?] Cyan heard his old self think.  
  
"Who are you?" Mrs. Murphy said, walking toward the mysterious girl, and reaching an arm out, "Why are you here?". As soon as she made contact, however, a rush of orange went up her arm, covering her completely before melting her body to the floor.  
  
[What the hell!?] Cyan couldn't move as Rei walked toward him. He was oblivious to the fact that his friends had by then shared Mrs. Murphy's fate. "Who...are you?"  
  
The girl never spoke a word, as her hands slowly looped around Cyan's back, and pushed her lips against his face. Cyan's world disintegrated around him, as he became aware of his body beginning to fade...  
  
-----------------  
  
"Aaagh!" Cyan sat up, sweat beading on his head. The moon shone directly through the window onto Cyan, and onto another figure.  
  
"Gaah!" Asuka let out a surprised shriek, startled by Cyan's sudden waking. Looking around to find Cyan, she let out a whispered scolding.  
  
"Don't scare me like that!" she said, heart still going a mile a minute.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Asuka," Cyan retorted, "I'll try not to wake up next time..."  
  
"Don't be such a smartass!" Asuka whispered hoarsely. "Good night, Cyan..." Asuka walked back to her room, then changed her mind. She walked back, sitting on the couch before Cyan could occupy the space with his legs again.  
  
"So, you dream as well?" Asuka said quietly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm one of those dreaming people..." Cyan said.  
  
"Would you quit it!?" Asuka was annoyed again, "I'm not trying to be a smartass!"  
  
Cyan lay his head back. "Yeah, I dream...every night since I got here...I thought you were going to bed..."  
  
"I dream too..." Asuka said quietly, "Bad memories..." They stayed in silence for a short while. After a while, the redhead broke the silence. "What do you dream about?"  
  
"The last thing I remember from before I came here," Cyan said, "A bus crash...my friends died...and this girl was taking everyone's souls or something..."  
  
"Whoa..." [Maybe I shouldn't have asked...what a freak...]  
  
"You?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What do you dream about?"  
  
"My mother..." Asuka debated with herself whether she should tell this gaijin about her mother, but was interrupted.  
  
"She's dead, isn't she?" Cyan asked.  
  
"...How did you know?" Asuka was stunned.  
  
"Mine too," Cyan said, "Brain aneurism."  
  
Asuka bowed her head. "Suicide..."  
  
Cyan's hand shot in front of his mouth. "I'm sorry..."  
  
Asuka looked up, her eyes welling already. "Don't be," she said, "It isn't your fault..."  
  
A long silence prevailed, as Asuka wiped her eyes. "Why do you pilot the EVA, Asuka?" Cyan asked casually.  
  
"I don't know," Asuka said, "I used to think it was to show the world how great I am, so in a way, I suppose it's to prove to the world that I exist...you?"  
  
"Because if I didn't I wouldn't have a place to stay, food to eat or any money whatsoever."  
  
Asuka laughed. "Fair enough," she said. Her head lulled over the back of the couch. "You know, the first time I met you, I thought you were just another pervert...I mean I'd met a few back in college...but...you're not like them..."  
  
Cyan sat up, dropping his legs onto the floor as Asuka continued. "I'd always thought that all guys were jerks, apart from Kaji of course. I'd always thought that all guys just wanted a quick fuck every now and then...but you're happy with just talking, being friends..."  
  
Cyan was silent, while Asuka stood up. "Thank you, Cyan," she said, pecking Cyan on the cheek as she walked back to her room, "See you in the morning..."  
  
"Good night, Asuka..." Cyan said, before curling up on the couch again and falling to sleep...  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------  
  
Well, there's Chapter...(looks up to top of window...)...Six. Hopefully I'll have another update...  
  
Listen, I've seen this work before, so I'm trying it here...I'm holding this fic hostage. If I don't get a good number of reviews, I'm discontinuing it. It's more than a little stressing to put lots of time into a project and get little or no response for it. Thanks for understanding, and thanks for the (hopefully) coming reviews. 


	7. True Colours of NERV

Author's Note: Before you read this fan-fic, check my last one, The Last Gift She Expected. See that note up the top of every chapter? That bit that says "I do not own Gainax or any of its creations"? You don't? Ah well...anyway, I didn't then, and since then I haven't suddenly inherited a small mint, so I don't now, either.  
  
Where Am I, Chapter 7 - Distrust : True Colors of NERV  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------  
  
"Hi...This is Kaji...I'm out right now, but you can leave a name and message after the beep."  
  
Asuka heard the tone, signifying that Kaji's message machine was ready to take a message. And what a message it was...  
  
"AAAAAAGH! HELP ME KAJI!!!" Asuka wailed, "Don't touch me you pervert! AAAAAAGH!"  
  
Asuka pushed the "End Call" button on her cell phone, and placed it in her pocket. "That should get his attention," she told herself.  
  
Hikari looked in on Asuka from the classroom. "What was all that about?"  
  
Asuka leaned against the wall. "I was just calling Kaji," she lamented, "I wanted him to take me out tomorrow night. I've been calling him and calling him, but he's always out doing something..."  
  
Hikari brightened up. "You mean you'll be free tomorrow?"  
  
"Unfortunately, it seems so..."  
  
"Great! I've got a favour to ask you..."  
  
Meanwhile, back in the classroom, Rei was wringing a cloth free into a bucket. Cyan was busy clapping dusters, while Toji was mopping the floor. Shinji was supposed to be dusting, but something about Rei caught his eye...  
  
[The way she wrings that cloth...it's familiar...] A mop connecting with his face shattered his daydream.  
  
"Hey!" Toji shouted, snapping Shinji out of his delusions, "Get back to your work!"  
  
"Agh! Sorry!" Shinji sounded aggravated. At this time, Hikari walked back in.  
  
"How about you getting back to your work, Suzuhara!?" she scolded.  
  
"Yeah, sure..." Toji said, lowering his mop back to the floor. Cyan stifled a laugh.  
  
"What's so funny, Sixth Child!?" Toji shouted across the room.  
  
"Christ, Toji, you're so henpecked," Cyan said, grinning from ear to ear, "You got the hots for our class rep, huh?"  
  
"Cut it out!" Toji swung the mop at Cyan, who easily danced away.  
  
"First Misato, now Hikari," Cyan taunted, "You gotta thing for chicks in authority?"  
  
Toji blew his top, throwing the mop at Cyan as if it were a spear. Completely to everyone's surprise (even Cyan's), he spun out of the way, caught the mop, and used the momentum to spin it around into his other hand, now clasping it with both hands. Cyan looked at the mop, suddenly in his hands.  
  
"How in hell did you do that?" Asuka asked from the door, observing Cyan's actions from the corridor.  
  
"You tell me," Cyan said quietly. The school bell interrupted all, and the students packed up all items and left.  
  
Shinji, Cyan and Asuka were happy to go home, until Rei approached them.  
  
"We have sync tests," she said quietly, we must go to NERV headquarters." She walked on, oblivious to the three other kids swearing behind her.  
  
--------------------  
  
"Tomorrow..." Shinji said quietly to himself in the elevator. Sync tests went for longer than expected, and it would be dark before they all got home. He had managed to catch the elevator before Rei could take it down by herself like she usually did.  
  
"Tomorrow I have to go see my father," he reminded himself, loud enough for Rei to hear. "What should I talk about, Rei?"  
  
"I don't understand," Rei said in her usual quiet manner, "Why are you asking me?"  
  
"Well, you seem to be closer to him than me," Shinji reasoned, "You seem to enjoy talking to him..."  
  
Rei stayed silent. "Say, what's my father like, anyway?"  
  
"I don't know." Shinji looked down. It was Rei's turn to ask a question. "Have you been watching me because you wanted to ask me that question?"  
  
"Um, yeah..." Shinji was reminded of something he saw earlier. "Hey, before, when we were cleaning up, that cloth, um, the way you wringed it...it reminded me of a mother..."  
  
"Um..." Rei wasn't sure how to respond. She felt blood rush to her face...  
  
Shinji laughed nervously. "I'm sure you'd make a great mother, Rei!"  
  
Rei didn't turn, so as not to show Shinji her red face. "You...embarrass me."  
  
---------------------  
  
Later on, Misato finally got home. "I'm home!" she called out.  
  
"Hey, Misato," Cyan called out.  
  
"How's it hangin'?" Asuka added.  
  
Misato walked in to the lounge room, and saw Cyan laying face down watching TV, Asuka preferring to watch it upside-down, laying on her back, with a packet of chips cradled on her stomach.  
  
"You should go to bed, Asuka," Misato recommended, "Don't you have a date tomorrow?"  
  
"Some med student," Asuka confirmed, "Hikari set me up with him...oh, Misato! Can I borrow your lavender perfume?"  
  
"Hey, that stuff's not for kids!" Misato scolded as she changed tops in her room. "Hey, where's Shinji?"  
  
"In his room, ever since he got home," Cyan said, still watching the television.  
  
"I don't think he wants to meet his father. If he hates him so much, why doesn't he just say?"  
  
"That's the problem," Misato sighed, "he doesn't actually hate him...Cyan, maybe you can go talk to him?"  
  
"Me?" Cyan sat up. "I barely know him..."  
  
"He looks up to you, kid," Misato smiled, "You're like the big brother he never had..."  
  
Cyan shrugged, and walked to Shinji's room. He knocked.  
  
"Is that you, Misato?" he heard Shinji call out.  
  
"I'm flattered, but no."  
  
"Oh, Cyan! Sorry..."  
  
The door opened. "Don't forget what I said, Shinji."  
  
"Oh, sor..." Shinji cut himself short.  
  
"Can we talk?"  
  
"Sure," Shinji said, letting Cyan in. Cyan walked in, and took a seat at the foot of Shinji's bed.  
  
"Going to see your father again, huh?" Cyan said, trying to strike up a conversation.  
  
"Yeah..." Shinji wasn't very talkative.  
  
"I...take it you guys don't get along..."  
  
Shinji's face screwed up in anger, a side of him Cyan hadn't seen too regularly. "I hate him. He abandoned me when I was three...and the one time he calls me to him, he wants me to pilot the Eva..."  
  
Cyan took all this in, and understood. "Don't worry...it's okay to hate other people, even if they are your parents. I didn't get along with my father either. He was my complete opposite, and he never understood anything I did. But...I didn't just shut him off. I kept in touch with him, to help me understand him more. That's why it's important to talk to him..."  
  
Shinji looked up as Cyan continued. "You have to confront him. Don't let him walk all over you like this..."  
  
"That's not what I'm worried about..." Shinji confessed. "I'm seeing my mother too..."  
  
"Really?" Cyan asked, oblivious, "What's she like? Better than your dad?"  
  
"I never...knew her..."  
  
Cyan knew exactly what he meant. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry..."  
  
"Practice what you preach, Cyan."  
  
Cyan looked up, surprised by Shinji's sudden display of wit. "Smart-ass," he grinned.  
  
Cyan got up, and walked out of the room. He paused at the door. "Listen," he said to Shinji, "If you ever need someone to talk to...I'm...there, alright?"  
  
Shinji smiled. "Thanks, Cyan. I know how hard it must be for you. You don't seem to be the brotherly type..."  
  
Cyan laughed, and closed the door behind him. Misato was waiting for him.  
  
"Good job, Cyan," Misato thanked him.  
  
"No sweat." Cyan was about to walk away, when Misato stopped her.  
  
"I've got one more thing to ask," Misato requested, "I'm going to a wedding tomorrow night..."  
  
"You want me to babysit?" Cyan finished. Asuka heard this.  
  
"Hey, I resent that!" she whined, "We don't need a babysitter!"  
  
"Okay, think of him as a bodyguard," Misato said, before leaving for her room once more. "I'm going to bed, and so are you guys."  
  
"Good night, Misato," Cyan said, watching his host's bedroom door shut, before turning to Asuka. "Good night, Asuka."  
  
Asuka got the hint. "Alright, I'm going..."  
  
-----------------  
  
Shinji knelt in front of the gravesite, examining the tombstone and its engravings. He knew what was written on it. It read "YUI IKARI, 1977 - 2004". The howl of wind went on overhead, echoed by the desolateness of the cemetery.  
  
"It's been three years, since we were last here..." Shinji heard his father say.  
  
"That's when I ran away," Shinji commented, "I haven't come back here since...I just don't believe that my mom's resting here...I don't even remember her face..."  
  
"Burying memories is Man's way of surviving," Gendo told his son, "But there are some things a man should never forget. Yui taught me that one, irreplaceable thing, Shinji. That is the reason I come here, to confirm that commitment."  
  
Shinji exhaled heavily. "You don't have a picture of her?"  
  
"No photographs. Even this grave is an artifice. Nothing remains."  
  
"It's like my teacher says...you cast everything away..."  
  
"I keep my memories in my heart," Gendo concluded, "I'm satisfied with that..."  
  
The roar of a plane touching down nearby filled the air. "Our time is up. I'm leaving now." Gendo began to walk to the plane. Shinji looked up at his father as he stood up.  
  
"Father!" he cried out, "I'm glad we could talk today..."  
  
Gendo turned, just as he was about to enter the plane. "Indeed..."  
  
-------------------  
  
Shinji got home earlier than expected. Now it was time to pay his own tribute. He retrieved his cello from his room, and set up in the kitchen. After a few seconds, the first few chords to "Ode to Joy" flowed throughout the apartment block. Every note he played made him think of the mother he never really had...the mother he never knew... [No one else I know went through the same kind of life I've had...or have they?]  
  
When the final note echoed through the house, he heard two sets of hands applaud him from behind. Turning around, he saw Cyan and Asuka.  
  
"That was very nice, Shinji," Asuka complimented, "I didn't know you played."  
  
"I started when I was five," Shinji said brightly, as Asuka collapsed in her room, while Cyan went to the couch, "but I'm still not that good..."  
  
No one noticed Pen Pen poke his head out of his fridge, while the conversation continued. "Well, just stick to it, Shinji," Cyan encouraged, before turning to Asuka. "You're home early, aren't you? Didn't you have a date?"  
  
"Yeah, but he was more boring that Shinji, so while he was in line for the roller coaster I took a train back here."  
  
Shinji was astonished. "That's a little cold, isn't it?"  
  
Asuka sighed, the strain of a lost love in her voice. "Kaji's the only real man in my life..."  
  
-----------------  
  
"Right...yeah, sure, Misato...bye." Cyan hung up his mobile as Asuka walked out of her room.  
  
"Was that Misato?" she asked.  
  
"Yep," Cyan answered, "She's gonna be late home, so don't wait up..."  
  
"What!? You mean she won't be back till tomorrow morning?"  
  
Shinji turned to Asuka. "I doubt it. She's going out with Kaji..."  
  
"You idiot! That guarantees it!" Asuka ranted.  
  
Sure enough, five hours went by, and still no Misato. Cyan was still getting around the use of chopsticks, while Asuka had laid her head on the table, rapping her fingers against said table.  
  
"Hey Shinji," she said for no apparent reason, "you wanna kiss me?"  
  
Shinji looked at Asuka, taking out his earphones. "Huh? What!?"  
  
"You know, kissing. Have you done it before?" Shinji nodded dumbly. "So let's do it."  
  
"But...why?"  
  
"I've got nothing better to do," Asuka reasoned.  
  
"That's your reason? Um...you're weird..." Shinji muttered.  
  
Asuka lifted her head, smirking. "What's the matter? Afraid your mother's watching you from heaven?" she taunted.  
  
"No, that's not it..." Shinji complained.  
  
"Or are you scared?" she continued to taunt the Third Child mercilessly.  
  
"I'm not afraid!" Shinji said angrily, standing up. "Pucker up!"  
  
Asuka grinned devilishly. "Mmm...not interested any more." She said as she stood up and walked away to the lounge room. Cyan, having given up on chopsticks, was on the couch watching television, and thus didn't have any idea what was going on. Asuka walked in front of him, and before he could complain about her being in his way, she pounced on Cyan, planting her lips on his, making pleased sounding noises. Cyan fell back in surprise, pashing back for a few seconds, before Asuka stood up again, and assessed the situation.  
  
"Mmm...Not bad, Cyan!" she smiled as she walked to the bathroom, "I could get used to that!"  
  
Cyan stared at the Second Child as if she'd grown a second head as she closed the door behind her. Cyan looked back at Shinji, whose eyes were bulging, blood beginning to trickle down his upper lip.  
  
"Could get used to that," Cyan laughed, as he lay back on the couch in sheer disbelief at the passing events. Shinji didn't know what the hell to think...  
  
----------------  
  
Kaji was straining under the weight of Misato, but there was no way he was going to let on. "Drinking until you throw up," Kaji said, in a rather unimpressed tone, "How old are you?"  
  
Misato could only barely manage to slur her reply: "Old enough to regret it..."  
  
"So am I..." Kaji said, ignoring Misato's wise-crack "You're damn right!".  
  
Misato's arms were under Kaji's chin, and thus they were getting considerably itchy. "You need to shave your...uh...sloppy face...I can walk now..."  
  
Kaji set the woman down, and she began to walk alongside her old flame. After a short while of silence, she spoke again.  
  
"Kaji, d'you think I've changed?"  
  
"You're even prettier."  
  
Misato chuckled, despite her state. "That's not what I meant..."  
  
Silence. Misato continued. "When I told you there was someone else...you knew it wasn't true, didn't you?"  
  
Kaji was slightly taken aback, but it didn't show on his face. "No..."  
  
"I'd realised how much like my father you were...and I panicked...I couldn't believe I wanted a man just like my father...I was terrified, so I ran..."  
  
Kaji was looking at the Major with what could be seen as contempt as Misato continued. "I was afraid of becoming a woman, afraid of being with you, and I thought I hated my father, but I fell in love with someone just like him...  
  
"I thought joining NERV was a way for me to sever those ties, but it turned out that my father worked for them too...so I tried to bury it all by swearing vengeance against the Angels..."  
  
Misato stopped walking, and Kaji turned to face her. "Choosing that path was your decision. You don't have to apologise to anyone!"  
  
"Don't bullshit me, Kaji!" Misato hissed drunkenly, "I just turned tail and ran...it was just an escape from the real world and my father...hell, I'm no better than Shinji is! I'm a coward, Kaji...it's just like right now, I had to get up the nerve to get so falling-down drunk enough to even tell you the truth!"  
  
Kaji wouldn't stand for much more of this. "That's enough!"  
  
Misato continued her tirade, through sobs of depression. "I'm a child...I've no right to be Shinji's guardian, or Asuka's, hell, or Cyan's! Look at me, so afraid to accept a helping hand from a man unless I'm so shitfaced that I don't even know what I'm doing!"  
  
"Enough, Misato! Cut it out!" Kaji was getting impatient.  
  
"I'm pathetic, I'm a child, Kaji! I'd use you! I'm just so - agh!" Misato gasped as Kaji closed his mouth over hers, effectively shutting her up. Misato was paralysed with shock for a brief moment, letting out muffled cries of protest, eventually surrendering to Kaji's embrace. As she calmed down, her hands let her high heels slip to the ground...  
  
--------------------  
  
"Um, Cyan?" Asuka walked into the lounge room, a little inhibitedly, "Are you awake?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm awake..." Cyan curled his legs up, to partake in what was turning out to be a sort of nightly tradition: a couch-side chat with the Second Child.  
  
"Um...about earlier..."  
  
"I know. I can think of three reasons why you did what you did...One, living with two boys for this long, at your age, well that explains itself..."  
  
"Just what do you mean by that!?"  
  
Cyan ignored her. "Two, you've never been kissed before, and you just wanted to know what it was like...which I highly doubt...or three," he added with a chuckle, "you just want to make Shinji jealous." Asuka turned a shade of pink at the thought. "None of which I expect anything more from."  
  
Asuka looked at Cyan in surprise. "Huh?"  
  
"It's my long way about saying 'let's just be friends'," Cyan smiled.  
  
"You really are different..." Asuka smiled back. "Thanks for understanding, Cyan. At least you're more sensible than the Stooges..."  
  
"Shinji ain't so bad," Cyan defended his 'brother', "Those other two...God, you don't want to know what that brat Kensuke's got on his hard drive..."  
  
This got Asuka's attention, for all the wrong reasons. "What?" she growled.  
  
"Don't worry, it's all been taken care of..."  
  
----------------  
  
Kensuke double clicked on a familiar folder entitled "Schoolgirls changeroom pics", expecting to find the 200 megabytes of images taken from (you guessed it) the school change rooms.  
  
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL!?" The otaku adjusted his glasses to ensure he saw the blank window correctly, "WHO IN FUCK DELETED ALL MY POR..." Kensuke remembered that his father was in the next room. "...er...study notes..!?"  
  
---------------  
  
Before Asuka could say anything else, the front door opened, revealing Kaji supporting a wasted Misato.  
  
"Hey, guys," Kaji greeted everyone, amidst the moaning of a barely conscious NERV Major.  
  
Shinji and Cyan politely greeted the man, but were drowned out by Asuka. "Hello, Kaji!" Asuka put on her lovey-dovey voice, as the man entered the room, "How are you?"  
  
"Alright," he said, before turning to Shinji. "Where's Misato's room?"  
  
"This way," Shinji lead Kaji to the woman's room. Cyan turned to Asuka.  
  
"I see you're still trying to jump Kaji?"  
  
"Why not?" Asuka flashed the guy-killer smile (as opposed to lady-killer) and walked off to follow Kaji, who was walking away from Misato's room with Shinji.  
  
"Well, I best be going now," Kaji said as he motioned to depart.  
  
Asuka sensed her chance slipping away. "Aww, you can stay here is you want!" Cyan was almost laughing out loud. [Christ, she's pretty subtle...]  
  
"Afraid not," Kaji shot the German down, "If I turned up for work tomorrow wearing this, I'd never live it down..." Kaji began to walk for the door.  
  
The German was losing her man. "Aw, come on, Kaji! You can do it!" She began to chase after Kaji, attaching herself to his arm.  
  
"Hey, come on, Kaji, it'd b..." Asuka stopped when a familiar smell wafted past her, paralysing her.  
  
Kaji let out a distressed sigh. "Later, Asuka," he said, as he left the apartment.  
  
[Lavender perfume...] Asuka looked as though her world was falling apart. [Misato said that that stuff wasn't for kids...she wants Kaji for herself...damn it, Cyan was right. Kaji wouldn't want a kid like me...]  
  
"Bye, Kaji," Cyan said as he closed the door behind the NERV employee. Asuka stood motionless in the corridor as Cyan turned back to the room.  
  
"Asuka?" Cyan walked forward, waving his hand in front of Asuka's face. "Alo? Earth to Asuka?"  
  
Asuka remained silent as she stormed to her room. [Damn it, Cyan was lying! I can still get Kaji! I don't care what he says!]  
  
---------------  
  
Misato's head was spinning. She shifted her head, and saw the light of day through the window.  
  
[It's already...morning?] She grumbled, pulling the covers back over her head. [God my head hurts...and my throat feels like it's burning...]  
  
The covers came off, and Misato's eyes opened in an instant. Her hands instinctively shot around her chest, afraid that she was unclothed, but found that she was still wearing the formal suit she had on last night. In front of her, a pair of feet stood behind a tray holding a tall glass of water and a plate of raw oysters.  
  
"...huh? What's all this?" Misato murmured, still half asleep.  
  
"Read somewhere all this stuff is good for a hangover," Cyan said, as he knelt down, "Itadakimasu!"  
  
Misato picked up one of the slimy shellfish, and cautiously popped it into her mouth. Swallowing it in a strained manner, it was obvious she didn't like the taste.  
  
"Are you...sure about this?" Misato said squeamishly.  
  
"Yeah," Cyan assured the Major, "Just finish this plate off and you'll be fine." Cyan was about to stand up when he remembered something. "Oh, and by the way," Cyan added, "Those pictures of Kensuke's are history."  
  
"Mmm...Thanks, Cyan..." Misato thanked the boy in her near comatose state. Cyan grinned as he stood up and walked out.  
  
"I don't recall you making us breakfast," Asuka said, in a disappointed tone.  
  
Cyan was ready with the comeback: "I don't recall you drinking till you threw up last night."  
  
"Touche..." Asuka went back to her breakfast (Shinji's famous miso soup). "So, what classes do you have today?"  
  
Cyan let out an audible sigh, "Physics, and Computing, Kanji and History with you guys...bad day today..."  
  
"Tell me about it," Shinji put in his two cents, "Guess what we have while you do Physics?"  
  
"No wait," Cyan put his hand to his head, as if he were a mind reader, "Lectures about the Second Impact?"  
  
"My God, he's a psychic..." Asuka joked.  
  
----------------  
  
"Okay, let's start with the roll call...ladies first..." The teacher's monotone voice was already putting Cyan to sleep. "Ayanami...Rei Ayanami..."  
  
All eyes shot to an empty seat beside the window. "Is Rei away again!?" the teacher sounded pissed off.  
  
[Where the hell is she?] Cyan thought to himself, [Probably some secret NERV tests or something...]  
  
-----------------  
  
Kaji looked at the keypad, the slightest sense of nerves in his stomach. [Let's see if the rumours are true...]  
  
Kaji punched in the code, and the keypad went from red to green, signifying that all Kaji had to do to enter this room was to enter the keycard that he 'borrowed' from someone upstairs...  
  
Before his card could pass through the reader, Kaji immediately soiled himself at the sound of a gun cocking behind him. Only when he heard the distinct sound of a woman clear her throat did he know that his life wasn't in danger.  
  
"Greetings, Misato," he said cheerfully, "Feeling better?"  
  
"I'm sober now, thank you."  
  
"I'm glad to hear that, Misato," he said before he was interrupted.  
  
"Is this your real job?" Misato interrogated her captive, pistol muzzle firmly pressed against the back of his head. "Or is it just something you do part-time?"  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
"I think that there are two Ryoji Kajis," Misato theorised, "One works as NERV's Special Inspections Manager, and the other would be a spy for Japanese Intelligence..."  
  
"Hmph, so you knew..."  
  
"Don't underestimate NERV, Kaji," Misato was growing impatient with Kaji's attitude.  
  
"Was this ordered by Ikari?" All trace of kindness was now gone from Kaji's voice, the seriousness of his predicament dawning on him.  
  
"No, it's my initiative," Misato said curtly, "but if you stay with this other job, you'll die..."  
  
"Perhaps not," Kaji smirked, unseen by Misato, "Commander Ikari is using me for his own ends. However, I am sorry I've kept this from you."  
  
"I'll let it slide," Misato replied, showing the slightest bit of compassion, "Repayment for last night."  
  
"I appreciate that." Kaji's hand, holding the keycard, hovered over the lock. "But you should know, Ikari and Ritsuko are hiding something from you too..." Bringing down his card hand, and sliding it through the lock, he proclaimed, "...and this is it!"  
  
Misato watched helplessly as the blast doors opened, revealing the contents of LCL Manufacturing Plant No. 1. "Oh my God...is that an Eva..?" Images from her dark past flashed before her eyes. "No...it can't be..."  
  
"Yes," Kaji confirmed what Misato's eyes wouldn't believe, "The keystone to Second Impact and everything that's happened since..."  
  
"Adam..." Misato spat out the name as if it were a curse. "What is the first Angel doing here!?"  
  
No response. Misato looked up at the giant white being. "You're right, Ryoji," she said, using his real first name for the first time in a long time, "I don't know NERV at all..."  
  
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Sorry about the delay, I've had a little trouble with the service provider, but hopefully that will all be fixed shortly. Anyway, seeing as there are people who actually read this, I might as well continue with it. I'd still appreciate any feedback, although I know tedious you guys find it all...  
  
Anyway, see you next chapter, I suppose. 


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